Naruto: The Next Sage
by Archit Bajpai
Summary: Smart Naruto with Sharingan and then Rinnegan. Good Sasuke, Good Kurama, legendary team seven with Kakashi Hattake as team leader. Follow Naruto as he becomes a legend and find many friends and secrets along the way. Follow him to find out the piece and watch as he becomes the child of two prophecies and to know more, read the story yourself.
1. Prologue

**Naruto: The Next Sage**

**Prologue:**

This is my first story. On this page, you guys will get all the info on updates of the chapters and other things like links to images as well. In short, this story will be Naruto/Hinata eventually and yes, Naruto will have the sharingan and all the things that follows. To know the rest, read my story.

**Disclaimers:**

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, but I own every single word of this story, so if anybody wants to use any of many ideas, just ask I and I assure you that I will lend you the idea or matter to use in your own story. Just don't forget to give me credits for proving the idea or matter.

**Jutsu:**

1. Substitution Jutsu – Kawarimi  
>2. Transformation Jutsu – Henge<br>3. Body Flicker Jutsu – Shunshin  
>4. Flying God Thunder – Hiraishin<p>

**Villages:**

1. Hidden Village in the Leaf – Konoha  
>2. Hidden Village in the Sand – Suna<br>3. Hidden Village in the Mist – Kiri  
>4. Hidden Village in the Rain – Ame<br>5. Hidden Village in the Rock – Iwa  
>6. Hidden Village in the Cloud – Kumo<br>7. Hidden Village in the Sound – Oto  
>8. Hidden Village in the Grass – Kusa<p>

**FAQ'S:**

1. If anyone thinks that the progress is unnatural, then let me tell you something in the beginning. I read a story in which Naruto was giving weights to a 1 year old Hanabi, who was practicing Jyuken and was talking as well.

2. If anyone thinks that Naruto is acting too mature for his age, then let me remind you, this is a fiction and not a real world.

**Notes:**

For the sake of a better story, any pointers in making the chapters better are accepted, just pm me you ideas or pointers to make the previous chapters better than before. An if anyone would like to help me on it, i will gladly appreciate a helper.


	2. Chapter 1 : Naruto Uzumaki

**Chapter 1: Naruto Uzumaki**

The hidden leaf village or konoha was attacked by the nine tailed demon fox or kyuubi. Many shinobies died that day to protect the next generation and their loved ones. The fox was defeated and killed by the fourth hokage and he died in doing so.

**5 years after the attack**

It has been 5 years since the kyuubi attacked. The village is recovering at a nice pace but the loss of the fourth hokage was too much. The third hokage resumed his position until he could find a nice successor to choose his place.

**Somewhere in the market of konoha**

"Get out of my shop you demon" yelled a shopkeeper.

A 5 year boy is thrown out of the shop by the rude shopkeeper. The boy has blond hair and baby mass. He wore white shirt with orange swirl on it **(It is shown in the original series)**. The blond boy was looking at a fox mask and for no reason the shopkeeper started yelling at him. He threw the mask at the ground and said "You want this, take this and leave, and don't ever come in my shop again, you filthy brat" The blond picked up the mask and ran away with tears in his eyes **(This scene is show in the series in the later chapters)**

"It's that boy" one villager muttered  
>"What is he trying to do now" another muttered<br>"Why is allowed to roam free" a lady asked/yelled furiously  
>"He should be killed" another lady yelled<p>

The speed of the flowing tears began to increase each word hit his heart like a sharpened blade. The worst thing was he didn't know what he has done to deserve this. He has only one thought in his mind and that was why they hated him, why they try to ignore him. With that in mind he ran to the hokage tower to ask some answers for the hokage. The third hokage was the only one that talked to him and he treats him properly.

**Hokage Tower**

A blond boy rushed through the doors of the hokage tower to the hokage's room. He passed the receptionist and the ANBU's guarding the hokage's room. By force he opened the door and went inside crying and faced the third hokage for some answers.

"Old man, why does everyone hate me? Why do they always call me demon? What have I ever done to them?" asked the blond boy with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart. All that can be seen from watching his face. Everything was written on his face.

The hokage's heart twitched by watching him in that condition, a part of him wanted to tell him the truth, while a part of him wanted to keep him safe by not telling the truth, he decided the latter and spoke "Naruto those people do not see you for who you are I promise you my boy when the time is right I will tell you everything but until then you will have to wait" replied the old man or rather the third hokage. The third hokage was very close to Naruto and thus he did not mind the nick name given to him by his precious boy. They both were sort of like grandfather and grandchild figure to each other.

"But when, I want to know now. Tell me do I have parents? Please just a little bit I want to know" asked Naruto. Hearing this, the hokage sighted but he knew that he cannot get out of this.

"Yes Naruto, you do have parents. Your mother was an Uzumaki and you have your mother's maiden name, your father was a great shinobi and to protect you your heritage is hidden. Unfortunately they made lot of enemies during the third great ninja war, and to protect you I have to hide your heritage because if the word gets out, then they will come after you, i will tell you everything once you become old enough to protect yourself"

Naruto listening this become happy and cheerful but eventually become worries and asked "Were they good people and how did they die and did they loved me?"

"Naruto I have already told you that before, they both died in the kyuubi attack to protect the village to protect you and to protect their loved ones. And yes they were good people, and they were respected throughout the village. And if you want to know more, then you have to become strong to protect yourself and your loved ones, and yes they loved you even when you were still inside your mother. She was all about how she will teach you to walk and teach you to talk, and your dad was all about teaching you to be the best ninja of all the 5 elemental nations. Yes they loved you more than you can imagine."

Hearing this entire he became happy once again. All the pain and sorrow was replaced by an innocent yet determined smile. "Okay then i will become strong and make them proud, and be ready old man to give that hat to me because I will become hokage one day believe it, and then everybody will respect me and treat like I am someone important, and i will protect all of them just like my father and mother did"

The hokage chuckled and said "You have the will of fire in you my boy, and it is burning with great intensity, i am proud of you my boy and i know you will become a strong shinobi"

"Old man what is will of fire?" asked Naruto with curiosity

"The will of fire states that the entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them. This is what gives shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. It is also symbolic of the hopes and dreams of the previous generation being passed to the next"

The hokage further added "You know the hidden leaf village was founded by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. During their last battle at the valley of death Hashirama Senju won because he had will of fire in him, he had love in his heart and Madara Uchiha was driven by vengeance, and so he lost. You see, hatred makes a man powerful but it also drives that man crazy, on the other hand love makes a man both wise and powerful. Nothing good comes out of hate and revenge, they only drive the man crazy, and once you hatred or revenge is completed then what, then the person doesn't have a reason to exist, while love never dies and it gives the person a reason to push hard and to exist"

"Okay now I understand. The old man Hashirama was really something else, and that Madara sound cold. If I want to become strong, I would be like the first and the fourth, but I will surpass all of them even the fourth believe it" said the blond with a determined look on his face.

"But if you want to surpass them, then you have to start working hard from now on. And why don't you want to be like the second or the third" the hokage asked

"The second hokage seems scary and you don't seem to me that strong" Naruto answered straight forward. After hearing this, the face of the third hokage fell. He felt insulted but on the same side he cannot say anything to him because he was still a child.

"But still if you want to surpass all the hokage's, then you have to start working hard can you do this. Can you put aside everything and start working with all your will, tell me my boy can you do intense training all day" asked the hokage

"Yes I can do it believe it, I will be hokage one day on I will surpass all of you believe it" replied the blond

"Then you have to start working from tomorrow, as you know I cannot help you directly because it will be called favourism and being hokage I cannot favour only one child. If I teach you and leave the rest then it will not be fair. But I will provide you with assistance and I will give you direction, and probably assign someone to teach you, since the other children will be taught by their parents or by their clan, it is fair if I allot someone as a sensei to teach you" after saying this he handed some scrolls and books to the boy and added "take these scrolls and books and read them thoroughly. Some of them are history books of konoha while some of them explain chakra and jutsu mechanism. By the end of the month read all of them then I will give some more. These thing you will be learning when you enter the academy. So in simple words you are of two years head start than most of the students. But some kids from clan will also be at a head start. For example the Hyuga kids by now already know some taijutsu styles and how to mould chakra"

By this point the hokage let the words sink into the child's mind. When Naruto was about to ask something the old man interfered "All of your answers are given in the book, now read them and come back next month to take new books, and bring back these to me because I have to return them" after hearing this the blond picked up the scrolls and books and left.

**1 Year Later**

It's been 1 year since Naruto started reading all the books given by the hokage. He now knew all the history behind Konoha. He knew the importance of chakra and has learned the mechanism of jutsu. He learned the link between moulding chakra, hand seals, and seals. He also learned politics and all because the old man told him about the duties of the hokage. He was now living in his own apartment since the orphanage kicked him out. The hokage also gave him weekly allowance for surviving but that was not enough so he used to do paper work for the hokage to earn extra money for his daily needs all the while studying and doing nothing else and he. He also started to learning fuinjutsu and it attracted the boy to learn more. Although he did not do any practice but he did read all the stuff and with just a little practice he will be a genin in no time.

During the time he also took quite an interest in medical ninjutsu and to the sage arts that the first hokage used but he cannot mould chakra at that time so he thought to leave it for later. He also started some pranks on the hokage and some of his ANBU's and they were really impressed about the fact that a 6 year boy can prank them and erase all evidence. One time he painted all the hokage's cloth with orange colour and then the hokage was forced to visit a meeting in the orange painted dress.

The hokage also made him do physical workout in the morning to build up some physical strength and he was taking his training very seriously. He now has very less baby fat and he grew taller too. All this time the hokage did not teach him anything rather than giving him advice and books to read, today was the day when the old man told him that he can start working on moulding chakra, it took him quite some time but he gets it. He was now ready to go and show the old man what he achieved.

**Hokage Tower**

The excitement was getting his nerve without waiting further he rushed in the hokage's room and shout "Old man old man I did it, I did it" and laughed with excitement and trailed the rest of the words in the laugh.

"Oh you mean you get the hang of moulding chakra, well that is good" said thee hokage. 'Yeah that is good, but rather unexpected, he get it within an hour, surprising, he will be great shinobi one day' thought the hokage. "Ok, would you like to show me, and release as much chakra as you can" he added

As instructed the blond boy sit in a meditative position and started moulding chakra and then started releasing as much as he can. Soon the room started shaking, the ANBU's that were hidden there came out, and they stayed wide eyed at the act that was going on in front of their eyes. The ANBU's that were station out of the room also came in with the same expression and the hokage also had the same expression. Soon the intensity of the shake began to increase and the roof started cracking and the windows shattered into pieces.

'How can a 6 year old boy can have this much chakra, this is insane and this is all his chakra and if he continued training at an intense pace then it would only rise. He already has jonin level chakra reserves. He will surpass all the hokage's one day' the hokage thought and then commanded in a worried voice "That's enough Naruto stop it now, I said stop"

"Huh, how did I do old man was it awesome" he looked around to see some shocked ANBU's and added "by the looks of the ANBU's, I think that it was awesome, I knew that I was awesome believe it" replied the blond.

"Yeah Naruto, it was quite awesome but don't do that again now, I think you are ready for some chakra training. As you have read all the training methods, you can start training at your usual training ground 13, and here take these academy scrolls, these contain some academy jutsu and taijutsu style, complete everything then come back to me later ok" and with that he handed the scrolls to Naruto. With everything thing settled he left to hit the training ground.

**6 months later**

By this time Naruto had completed the leaf exercise and in his terms he had perfected the leaf exercise. During the time he found out a fault in the leaf exercise and he made an effort to fill the gap hence perfected the exercise. The fault was that while running the leaf exercise was useless since the leaf exercise was focused on sitting still and then controlling chakra while running it was another theory so he started running while on the same side doing leaf exercise. By now he can stick a bunch of leaves on his body while on the same time running.

He had already started the tree walking and now can stand on a tree for more than an hour and like the leaf exercise he also found a fault in the tree exercise the fault is that to perfect the tree walking one has to sit on the tree like he is sitting on a ground and then try to sleep like sleeping on the ground. He needed time to complete the remaining but he was confident that he will be successful in doing so.

He had also completed two of the three academy jutsu and his taijutsu was also coming a fine way but it was not his type, it was another matter he needed to talk to old man about. The second matter was that he was not able to do clone jutsu, it doesn't matter how much he tried, but he doesn't to make a single clone and he knew that his chakra control was ridiculous, but it was coming along but still to be not able to make a single clone, it doesn't make sense at all but there was one thing that he was proud of, and that thing was that normal people can only make an illusion when doing transformation, but his transformation was not an illusion it was a solid transformation which can be touched.

Currently our blond hero was passing through the Uchiha compound when he saw a raven haired boy practicing a fire jutsu and being a little curious and the fact that he didn't have any friends he decided to go and talk to him. He went close enough so that the boy would notice it and when he did he spoke in a rude manner "Hey, who are you, and what are you doing disturbing me during my training"

The blond boy was taken by that rude manner and spoke "Hey, why are you so rude?"  
>"Because you are disturbing my training" the boy yelled<br>"Fine, I am going" Naruto said and started to leave, however he was stopped by the Uchiha  
>"Wait, if you want to stay, then you can stay" the boy said<br>"I don't want to" yelled Naruto and started to leave, however he was stopped by the Uchiha again  
>Sasuke realized that it was his fault and he apologized "Sorry for being rude"<p>

Now it was Naruto's turn to apologize "I am sorry too, want to be friends" he said as he held out his hand as a gesture of friendship which the other boy took and nodded in acceptance for being friends with him. "My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, future hokage of the leaf, believe it" he said giving a massive grin on his face, showing his happiness of finding another friend aside the hokage.

"My name is Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha" the boy, now recognized as Sasuke said  
>"So, what were you doing?" asked Naruto<p>

"I was doing my clans **fire ball jutsu**. I want to make my dad proud, my brother learned this jutsu when he was 5 and perfected it when he was 6, and he is considered as a prodigy and I want to be just like him, but I hardly learned the jutsu, and then let alone perfect it within this year to match my brother. It doesn't matter how hard I try I cannot create a full **fire ball**" replied the Uchiha, the rudeness was completely gone and this tone was much friendlier.

"I can understand what you want to do, but to do that you don't have to compare yourself to your brother" replied the Uzumaki

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke

"Everyone has his own limit, not everyone born is a prodigy, but still with time they become strong. This is what the old man told me" replied Naruto

"But still, I want to do it, I want to make my dad proud, I want to be just like my big brother" said Sasuke  
>"Oh, I see where you are going, I can help you with that" Naruto replied<br>"So what do I do?" asked Sasuke  
>"Simple, do the leaf exercise for better chakra control" replied Naruto<br>"I already know the leaf exercise" asked Sasuke

"How many leaves can you stick to your body" asked Naruto  
>"Up to 4, what about you?" asked Sasuke<br>"I can stick 24" replied the blond  
>"So, what do id do now?" asked Sasuke<br>"Try sticking the leaves while running" replied Naruto  
>"I can stick up to 24 leaves all around my body and can still run" replied Naruto<br>"That's amazing, but who told you about it, nobody in my clan told me something like this" asked Sasuke

"I came up with it on my own; unlike you there is no one there to train me. The old man hokage gave me books and scrolls to read, and I read everything from them. Because he is the hokage so he cannot train me, because if he did it will be favourism, therefore he only game me books and the rest was all my hard work" replied Naruto

"You are pretty genius for our age, but why your dad didn't teach you?" investigated the raven haired boy

"The thing is you see, I don't have parents, I am an orphan and the old man hokage give me allowances for my daily needs" answered Naruto with a sad smile on his face and a little tear in his eye.

"Oh sorry I didn't knew that" replied Sasuke also feeling sad for the blond  
>"It's ok you know" laughed the blond as if nothing had happened<p>

"One more thing, why do you call the hokage 'old man', and what is your relation with him, is he your grandfather" investigated the blond

"I have no relatives, my parents were also killed during the kyuubi attack, and since then only old man and some ANBU have been close to me and he doesn't mind this nick name and I have also pranked him some time. For the latter part of your question yeah we are like grandfather and grandchild but we are not related by blood" replied the blond

"Oh nice, and to think you pranked the hokage you're awesome" replied Sasuke  
>"Yeah I know I am awesome believe it" replied Naruto<p>

The rest of the day went along like this talking and knowing each other more and Sasuke told Naruto about Itachi his older brother and Fugaku his dad who is also the clan leader. Naruto also told him about ichiraku ramen and Ayame and about his training and Sasuke decided to let him help in his training.

**2 year later**

It has been 2 years since Naruto started his training with Sasuke and Itachi and he is learning incredibly fast, Sasuke taught Naruto how to use kunai and shuriken and Itachi has been training them in detecting genjutsu with his sharingan. They have become very good friends and Sasuke with his dad's and Itachi's permission taught him their own fighting style. Most of Naruto's time was spent with them training and playing at the park with other kids their age. Sasuke has also become a lot friendlier than his early days and they have created some new friends. But most of the time they only train. Sasuke usually tags along Naruto whenever he goes to do a prank. In the given years they had played many pranks on many shinobi as well as civilians and Sasuke also noticed the looks they give to Naruto but whenever he ask anything about it Naruto says that he also don't the answer and that one the old man will tell him.

They both have learned 4 to 5 fire jutsu and Naruto have learned some wind jutsu because his wind and Sasuke's fire jutsu would be a good combination jutsu. They both have tested their affinity and Naruto have wind and fire while Sasuke have fire and lightning.

**Flashback **

"Hey Sasuke, do you know your elemental affinity?" asked the blond  
>"What is elemental affinity?" asked Sasuke<br>"Elemental affinity is your natural affinity in which your chakra can easily manipulate" replied Naruto  
>"I don't know, tell me how to check" asked Sasuke<p>

"Here take this and channel your chakra through them" with that said he handed Sasuke the paper and took one in his hands and channelled chakra through it the paper first divided into two and then turned into ash while Sasuke's paper crumbled and then turned into ash and after words. Naruto explained him all about elemental affinity and sub elements and the fact that it is jonin level training. After that they decided to learn jutsu's which match their affinity.

**Flashback End**

They have also perfect tree walking as well as water walking and now they are able to fight while doing tree and water exercise and to take it up the notch they trained to sleep on both the surfaces but after sometimes they fall but they still decided that it was enough and they both knew that they were above genin level. Itachi also told Naruto something more about his solid transformation that the sharingan cannot tell the difference.

During one of the training session Itachi brought Shisui Uchiha with him who was known for his genjutsu that not even a sharingan can see through and he also helped them train in their genjutsu skills. Now it was the time for them to join academy since they are already 8.

**The first day of the academy**

Naruto had already read most politics and everything about konoha so he knew that if he wants to stay with Sasuke then he have to be the dead last of the class while Sasuke has to be the rookie of the year. He entered the class and saw that Sasuke was chatting with some of his friends and he quickly realised them. He turned to look around and remembered all of their faces and other abilities as much as he knew through studies. Most of them were from shinobi families but some of them were also from civilian families.

Kiba Inuzuka is a boy with a very feral appearance that smells and even acts like a dog. He's loud enough to give Sakura some competition and always brings a small dog with him in his coat, named Akamaru. He wears black pants and a fleece-cuffed hooded jacket. I just call him 'dog-boy'. The only thing that he has that is greater than his loudness is his arrogance. He's heir to the Inuzuka clan that raise dogs as nin-animals and trackers. Most of their jutsu's seem to revolve around the partnership with them. They also seem to possess slightly heightened senses that can be strengthened by adding chakra to their noses.

Shino Aburame is of the Aburame Clan, a group of ninja who formed a symbiosis with a special breed of insects known as destruction bugs by allowing the insects to use their bodies as hives, they are known for their tracking qualities. He is a silent guy that speaks only when necessary and is very intelligent. He wears dark round sunglasses, a high collar grey coat that covers the lower half of his face and brown pants. His hair is spiky and unruly in appearance.

Shikamaru Nara is of Nara clan which is known for its intelligence and he can devise complex strategies even in the heat of battle. However, his laziness frequently prevents him from effectively utilizing his intelligence. He is a guy who complains about anything and says everything is troublesome. He has long black hair that he keeps up in a pineapple reminiscent manner. He wears a thin grey vest over a fish-net shirt and black knee-length trousers. Despite his slacker attitude, he's a fucking genius! At least that's what I can figure out from his frequent games of shogi and go he plays in class. Heir to the Nara clan which uses shadow based jutsu's.

Choji Akimichi is from the Akimichi clan which is known for its body strength. He is typified by his affinity for food. Though his habit of always eating gives him a relatively large appearance, Choji insists he is not fat, instead using explanations like being big-boned. If someone refers to him as fat, Choji instantly becomes hostile and increases his resolve to battle. Shikamaru Nara has never found an issue with Choji's weight, instead choosing to look upon Choji's inner strength. Because of this, Choji regards him as his best friend, stating he would willingly give his life to defend Shikamaru. In battle, Choji can increase the size of his body to improve the amount of damage his strikes deal upon impact. He can also use his clan's signature Calorie Control which converts his body fat to chakra. He has brown hair and swirls on his cheeks. He wears a green over-coat with matching shorts and a white shirt that says 'Eat' on the front with bandages on his arms and legs. He excels in heavy-striking Taijutsu thanks to his family's art of increasing the size of their bodies and limbs. He hates it when people call him fat. I would avoid doing that at all cost.

Hinata Hyuga is a shy girl with short indigo hair, lavender-coloured eyes, and soft features. She wears a baggy coat emblazoned with the burning flame, the crest of the Hyuga, the most prestigious clan in the village and probably the country. She also wears black trousers and normal shinobi sandals. She's very shy around people and often blushes when I lock eyes with her. Otherwise, she's one of the better students in the class; great intelligence, excellent combat and survival skills, never gloats about her achievements and is very humble. One of the more likable girls for her lack of a Sasuke obsession and the fact she always acts so nice to me. Of course she's nice to everyone so I shouldn't take it special but so few are nice to me it's hard not to. Though born of the Hyuga clan's main house and raised to become the successor, Hinata's shyness and inability to stand up for herself resulted in her father's strong disapproval, leaving her in the care of Kurenai Yuhi. She is from the Hyuga clan which is widely known for its dojutsu or visual powers that is byakugan and most of them are prick bastards who are mostly rude and they refer to their dojutsu as all seeing eyes.

Ino Yamanaka is a rather pretty girl with long blonde hair which she keeps in a pony-tail, has blue eye, and wears a purple outfit with bandages wrapped around her legs and midsection. She has good shinobi skills, but just like almost every girl has an Uchiha Sasuke obsession. Also she's the heir to the Yamanaka clan which uses mostly mind altering Nin and Gen jutsu's. She's no threat, she may be a gossiper, but she has to keep the details of her family jutsu secret, so she clearly knows how to keep important secrets.

Sakura Haruno has shoulder-length pale pink hair that she keeps tied back with a red ribbon, jade-green eyes, and a red Chinese dress with a white circle on the back. She's probably the weakest kunoichi in the whole village, but is decently skilled on the basics, and very book smart, but that's about it. She also screams like a banshee and she's hopelessly infatuated with Sasuke. When I first met her I found her rather cute but that died quickly after the first time I asked her to hang out or train. She screamed right in my face that I was a loser and couldn't compete with Sasuke! That ended that attraction rather quickly.

"Hey Sasuke" Naruto greeted  
>"Hey" Sasuke greeted in return<br>"Morning Naruto" Shikamaru greeted  
>"Morning Guys" Naruto greeted all his friends<br>"Morning" all of them said together

"Sasuke come here, I want to talk to you in private" said Naruto

Hearing this Sasuke took his leave from his other friends and went to talk to his new brother and said "What's the matter?"

"Well, when I was reading about teams, I found something interesting. You see, after we pass the graduation we will be placed in a 3 man squad under a jonin captain and after reading that, I decided that we both should be on the same team" asked Naruto

"So, what's the problem with that, we will be the best genin team of the history" replied Sasuke

"Yeah that's awesome, but you see there is a problem. Every team is managed according to their performance throughout the 4 year program and the dead last of the year will be placed with the rookie of the year and each team will have a kunoichi in it also and to balance the teams they will be scored according to their scores. Well unless the parents do something about it, for example Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino will be placed in one team because of the ino-shika-cho formation and they will be reckon or back up team while Kiba, Shino, and Hinata will be placed in one team and they will be tracker team because of Kiba's senses, Shino's insects and Hinata's byakugan while we will be the attacking team" replied Naruto

"So, what are you getting at?" asked Sasuke

"If we want to be on the same team, then one of will have to be the dead last while the other rookie of the year or if someone recommends us with sufficient reasons, but I will prefer the first part since old man wont recommend anything and I highly doubt your dad will be pleased to do so" replied Naruto

"So you are saying that one of us have to be the dead last. Oh come on you must be kidding we are above genin level, how will we be dead last" asked the Uchiha

"You will the rookie of the year while I will be the dead last" Naruto said this but he noticed that Sasuke was about to argue so he once again interfered and said "Don't argue, because I promised you that I will make your dad proud of you and you can't do that unless you become rookie of the year and there is no one that will be happy or sad about my situation" he completed his sentence with a depressed tone but when he saw that Sasuke was about to argue again and he knew what he was going to say so he again spoke "And I know that you, old man and Itachi are there for me but you already know my strength so there is no need to impress the three of you by becoming rookie of the year, and now don't argue"

"Ok but one thing, how do you know that I will be the rookie of the year, I mean I can handle the ninjutsu and taijutsu part but what if someone gets good grades because of the written part and what if someone beats me in jutsu parts" asked the raven haired boy

"Don't worry; I will make sure that nothing happens. I will replace your answer sheet with my own. In every written exam leave your answer sheet blank with my name on it and I will write your name on mine and if any day I am not here then do your best or come to me I will replace the answer sheet with completely new one ok" replied Naruto

"Yeah I guess" replied Sasuke

Their talk ended when a new voice broke everyone's concentration "Okay class sit down choose your place and sit down" saying that he noticed it didn't affect anybody so then he shouted "SIT DOWN EVERYONE" and with that the whole class choose their seats and sit with their partners. There was one table and two chairs so everyone was sitting in group of two on both the sides of the row while the middle row had 1 large table and three seats so they were sitting in pair of three. "Okay now my name is Iruka and this is my assistant Mizuki and you will call us Iruka sensei and Mizuki sensei understood" with that everyone nodded

Iruka continued with his speech "During your first year you will only study about things related to konoha and something other than that and you will also learn how to mould chakra and other basic things. Next year you will learn to use weapons like kunai and shuriken as well as you will learn academy taijutsu and academic ninjutsu and some other stuff. Next year you will only do physical training and nothing else and in third year you will again start learning more history and you will also learn about elemental nations, uses of chakra and mechanism of jutsu and some medical stuff. While learning all this you will also do physical stuff and once in a while you will spar with each other. At the end of third year you will be given an exam and only those who pass will be allowed to enter in fourth year while those who fail repeat third year"

Iruka let these words sink into students mind and after a moment he continued his speech "In fourth year you will practice everything you would have learned till then and perfect those things in which you are still behind. At the end of the fourth year you will be given your final exams and those who pass will become full-fledged ninja and those who fail will be send back to third year. More information will be given later on"

While everyone understood what he was talking about the two boys on the corner were talking among themselves "We already know all this, so if we want to graduate we can graduate now" the Uchiha spoke

"I am thinking quite the same, but let us do the 4 year, because I highly doubt that by now there will be a team left for us to be a part of and if we are placed in third year then they will look at us like we are children and if I have to continue my role of being dead last to be on your team, then Iruka sensei won't allow me to go to third year with you" Naruto spoke

"But still, I Wish to graduate now and if I graduate now, my dad would be proud of me and I would be just like Itachi" said Sasuke

"You can show everyone including Iruka sensei and your dad that you are genin level already, and if he or your dad tries to send you to third year just say that you want to enjoy from the start and that you want to be with your friends and all that. Don't you want to be with us, if you don't, then you are free to graduate" replied the blond

"Don't talk like that; you know you are my best friend, why would I graduate without you. I am just staying" replied Sasuke

Before they could continue their conversation Iruka's voice stopped them to do so "Okay let us start introduction like our name, likes and dislikes, hobbies and dream for the future okay" and with that the introduction started. Soon it was the turn of the blond boy

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, spending time with my friends and training with Sasuke. I dislike arrogant people and waiting 3 minutes while ramen cook. My hobby is tasting different types of ramen, training, and reading. My dream for the future is to become hokage and to surpass the fourth believe it" Naruto gave his intro the last part being loud while the rest like he was joking.

"Yeah like someone like you could become hokage" one boy yelled  
>"In your dreams" another yelled<br>"Believe what you want" Naruto replied in a calm voice

The next was the raven haired boy; he stood up and spoke "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like training with Naruto and spending time with my friends. I dislike arrogant people. My hobby is to train. My dream is to become my clan head and to make my dad proud" Sasuke said every single word with a calm and determined voice and in an instant he got a fan girl club. Now every girl was looking at Sasuke with flashy and lustful eyes and every girl had the same thought 'he is so cool and cute' and the boys were giving him angry glares the worst part was Sasuke didn't knew why. He turned toward the blond and spoke "Why are they looking me like that. And what's with all those glares from other boys"

The blond chuckled and said "Welcome to my world" and then he looked towards Sasuke who had an annoyed look like he was just going to punch him in the face so he spoke again "You have a fan club of girls. This is the worst part of the academy, didn't Itachi told you hearing this" Sasuke shook his head giving the answer as no and Naruto spoke again "And the looks from the boys are because of your cool speech, you are the centre of attention and thus all of them are jealous"

"Oh I see. So why are you not jealous?" inquiries Sasuke

"Because friends do not jealous because of other success, and you know why I gave that speech like I was joking, so as to become the joker for the class, so nobody will doubt me if I become dead last" replied Naruto

"Oh so you were aware of that and I thought that you were being stupid, well that means we have started with our plan successfully" asked Sasuke

"Well in a way to say yes, and you have done a great job with that speech" replied Naruto

**3 hour later, lunch **

"He is that boy" one kid mumbled  
>"My mom told me to stay away from him" a girl with pink hair said<br>"Yeah my dad also told me" another girl said  
>"My dad didn't say anything like that" a girl with blond hair spoke<br>"My mom said he is bad" pink haired girl speak

Their conversation went on like that and each word hurt Naruto like hell. He was sitting there with a depressed face and tears in his eyes and only one thought was going through his brain and that was 'why do they hate me' but before he could do anything Sasuke stood up and shouted "SHUT THE HELL UP, AND DONT TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE, AND DONT GIVE ME THAT LOOK YOU ALL ARE DISGUSTING" and with that all gossip came to an end. The boys were annoyed and jealous because of him but the girls were drooling over him.

Sasuke then looked towards the blond and said "Don't listen to their shit, how come you tolerate all this every time. It has been 3 hours and I am already sick of their glares and to thinks you go around it all the time. But this is it, if anyone else does or says or even stares at you, they have to go through me"

Before Naruto could speak a single word, their other friends namely Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Hinata, Ino, shine came to him and Shikamaru spoke "Don't listen to them Naruto, and don't waste your time on them Sasuke, they are not worth it"

Naruto was now normal he was not depressed anymore, he realized that there were his friends who do not speak like this and he spoke "Thank you guys and thanks a lot Sasuke your word meant a lot to me and don't worry about me one day they will respect me and then I will become hokage" With this they all laughed and the day ended. Naruto went to eat his ramen while Sasuke went home. They both agreed to spend the 4 year and then graduate.


	3. Chapter 2 : The Uchiha Massacre

**Chapter 2: The Uchiha Massacre**

**6 months later – Mid-session of the 1st year of the ninja academy**

It has been 6 months when they had started in the academy. Sasuke now had a fan club and almost all girls leaving Hinata Hyuga was a member of the fan club. When Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's dad commanded him to go directly to third year instead of going from the start, he stated Naruto's idea and very much to his surprise he understood that idea and allowed him to continue and he was rather proud of him because he was able to match Itachi in most of the things, even though Sasuke knew that Itachi was holding back but it didn't matter because he was happy.

Fugaku understand Naruto's idea was one way of saying thing but the truth was that he saw how Itachi was not able to live his childhood and he didn't wanted to that with Sasuke. Throughout the year Naruto and Sasuke pulled many pranks on their teachers and Naruto made sure that Sasuke didn't get caught in most of them that were on very large scale and could get Sasuke into trouble. Because of Naruto both his and Sasuke's stealth and trap making abilities were beyond jonin and ANBU levels. They had also pranked some ANBU's including Itachi and Sasuke was more proud of himself that he could prank Itachi who had a sharingan and still get out of it. All the blame for the pranks were put on Naruto and he made sure that Sasuke stay clean unless the pranks was on a small scale or Sasuke had played a direct prank but most of the time Sasuke stay cleaned.

Naruto had almost finished his beginner's fuinjutsu book and now he was headed towards intermediate fuinjutsu and he has also finished basic medical ninjutsu book and was now ready to learn some actual healing methods to heal himself and Sasuke when they spar. Sasuke was not interested in fuinjutsu or medical ninjutsu but he was interested in kenjutsu and while he trained with his sword, Naruto watched him carefully, he was not interested in it, but he had picked up some basic skills as he used to act Sasuke's sparring partner in kenjutsu. It was only a matter of half year when they go to the third year of the academy.

**Uchiha Compound, Later That Night**

Sasuke was returning from his training ground and Naruto was with him. They passed through the Uchiha compound, Naruto didn't found anything odd, but it was odd to Sasuke because the roads were clear and it was very quiet just as quiet as death.

'I'm so late.' HE thought, as HE approached the area. Soon after, HE started developing a bad feeling. Even though it was later than normal, it wasn't that late. It seemed too quiet. Glancing up at the electrical post, HE thought HE spotted a shadow, but when HE stopped and looked, it was gone. 'I could've sworn there was someone there...' HE thought, and then looked around, as HE noticed all the lights were out. 'It's too early for everyone to be in bed.'

HE stood in the same position a little while longer, before HE took off again. Turning the corner, HE stopped dead in his tracks, as HE stared at the ground in horror. The area was a disaster. Scattered Kunai's and lifeless bodies were piled everywhere. Everything was covered in blood. And judging by the smell, HE could tell that the bodies had been there for a couple hours, at least.

'What is this?' HE asked himself, as HE ran up ahead. 'Who could've done something like this? What is going on?' HE made his way to his Uncle and Aunt, who had also been killed. 'Uncle...Auntie...Not them too...' HE thought, clenching his fists. Suddenly, two names ran through his mind. "Oh no...Father and Mother..." HE whispered, before taking off. HE ran home as fast as HE could, hoping HE wouldn't be too late. However, HE already knew that HE was. Everyone was else had been killed. So why was HE supposed to believe they weren't?

**Sasuke's house**

"Father...? Mother...?" HE called, his voice trembling, as HE entered the house. "Are you there...?" HE laid his bag on the floor, and took off his sandals as HE came up the steps. HE stood there a little longer, as HE focused on the dead silence that filled the room. It gave him an uneasy feeling on his stomach. It even made him slightly sick. HE slowly walked through the house, checking each room to see if anyone was there. As HE stepped into the living room, there was a loud bang coming from another part of the house. HE rushed out of the room, making his way to the place the sound had come from. HE almost tripped as HE ran across the porch. Coming to a halt, HE stopped in front of the door, hesitating to go in.

Reaching up to the handle, HE immediately pulled his hand back, as HE became aware of someone's presence. 'Someone's in there...' HE thought, as his heart began pounding. Finally deciding HE had to do something, HE urged himself to move. HE reached up again, his hands shaking, as HE opened the door and gulped. What HE saw after that took his breath away; his eyes widened. It was Father and Mother. They were both dead.

"Father…Mother…" HE screamed, as HE stumbled into the room. The door closed behind me, and HE saw someone's shadow. They were standing a few feet away from Mother and Father. HE took a step back, scared as hell. He came closer, and his face was revealed. HE let out a sigh of relief; it was only his brother, Itachi. He stopped beside Father and Mother, looking up at me. His sharingan was activated.

"Big Brother… Itachi, Father and Mother are both...HE don't understand. Who could do all this?" HE cried, so badly wanting to know. Suddenly, a Shuriken whizzed by me, slicing his arm and sleeve. "Wait a sec...What're...?" HE trailed off in silence, staring at him in fear, as HE realized who'd kill all of them. HE was shocked it was him. "W-what have you done?" HE asked, his voice trembling.

"Foolish little Brother..." he said simply and added "I almost pity you..." He closed his eyes for a moment, and then soon after, reopened them. Before any thoughts came to their mind, Itachi spoke "Oh my little brother, what are you doing here?" and then he turned to look towards Naruto "Oh so you are here to. Sorry I didn't notice you; I was very busy in killing my parents"

Sasuke burst into crying and spoke stuttering "Itachi why did you do this? Why did you kill them?"

"I killed them because I wanted to test my power and I wanted to test my new sharingan" with that he channelled chakra to his eyes and showed them his new sharingan. They stayed wide eyed not even able to understand what he was saying. Naruto was aware of the sharingan but he hasn't seen anything like this. Before anyone could question him he spoke again "Let me show you my power my little brother" and with that he dashed towards him and he leaned towards his face and flashed his sharingan right in front of his eyes and spoke "**Tsukuyomi**"

**Inside the Tsukuyomi **

"This is Tsukuyomi, this is my world, and here I am God. I control everything here even the time itself. 72 hours here would be 3 seconds in the real world. For the next 71 hours and 55 minutes you will watch me kill every single member of the Uchiha clan and you would not be able to do anything" Itachi gave his speech and then started killing everyone.

Sasuke watched in horror, as people were being slaughtered. HE knew trying to defend them was useless, but as HE continued to watch, HE couldn't stand it any longer. HE followed my instincts and tried to run after them. However, HE couldn't. His legs wouldn't budge. HE screamed, as bodies continued to fall, "Itachi! Stop it…Why are you showing me all this?" Then more and more people came running at him. He showed no sign of fear, as he stood there, waiting for them to attack. He watched carefully, as they approached him. When they were several feet away, he quickly got into position, and with a single swipe of his sword, he'd killed them. Man after man continued to come, each one stabbed by his sword.

"NO!" HE cried. Looking beside me was my uncle, as he was defending my aunt. HE gasped, desperately reaching out for them, as if it would change something. "Uncle…Auntie…" It was too late; they were killed. HE screamed, at the same time crying. Soon, the scene had changed, and HE was back in the house. Itachi was standing behind Mother and Father, who were now setting up, as they looked down, with an unreadable expression on their face. Then with his sword, Itachi backed up, and quickly killed them

"Itachi…Father and Mother are...NOOOOO!" HE screamed. Soon, everything was back to normal, and HE fell to his knees, then to the floor, breathing heavily. HE looked at his Mother and Father, then up at Itachi.

"Why...?" HE barely managed to ask, as HE choked back tears. HE looked at the floor. "Why did you do this...? Itachi, why...?"

"To test the limits...Of my ability..." He replied without hesitation.

"To test your ability...?" HE repeated, with visible frustration. "You're telling me...that's the reason you butchered every member of our clan...?"

"It is of great importance..." he responded. His mind became clouded with rage. HE couldn't believe what HE had just heard.

"You bastard..." HE muttered, as HE got up, immediately charging at him. "You're out of your mind!"

Before Sasuke reached him, he'd punched me the stomach with full force, knocking the breath out of me. HE coughed, staying in the same position for few seconds then dropped to the floor. HE laid there for another moment, and then Sasuke gazed up at his Mother and Father, unable to keep from crying. HE also remembered his Uncle and Auntie. They'd meant so much to me. They were always encouraging him, and telling him that he will do well in life, and would eventually surpass Itachi if HE did his best. Suddenly, Itachi took a step forward, startling me. HE quickly looked up, remembering how afraid HE was.

"I'm scared." HE said, getting up. HE repeated it once again, before HE ran towards the door. HE wasn't aware of where HE was even going, until HE was out of the house and was on the streets.

"I don't want to die!" HE screamed, all the while crying. HE slowed down and stopped, as HE looked up to see him standing there. "Please..." HE begged. "Don't kill me..."

Sasuke stared at him with an inexpression on his face. HE looked back, trembling, unsure of what he'd do next. "Foolish little brother," he said coldly. "You're not worth killing..." Another moment of silence passed by, then he continued. "If you wish to kill me, foster your hate...Despise me...Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this...By all means, run way, and cling to your wretched life."

"It's a lie..." HE sobbed. "This isn't like you, big brother...It can't be..."

"I have acted like the older brother you desire for one reason; because I wanted to discover how powerful you were." He explained. "I needed to find a worthy opponent to test the limits of my own ability. You have that potential. Now you hate me, now you'll want to defeat me. Which is exactly why I'm going to let you live. You see? It's all for my own benefit. Like me, you may be one of the few who can use Mangekyo Sharingan, But there is a catch" The wind blew, causing my bangs to fall in my face. HE felt like asking what he was talking about, but HE didn't. HE was too afraid. "You must kill...your best friend..." He told me.

Sasuke looked at him in disbelief. "That's a lie..." HE muttered, softly, his tears freely falling.

"Kill him...just as I did" Itachi said. It took Sasuke a moment to realize what he was referring to. Then his eyes widened, as HE recalled that day

**Flashback**

"Do you know anything about Shisui Uchiha throwing himself in a river?" A guy asked Itachi. HE stood behind a metal pole, as HE listened. "You and Shisui Uchiha were the only ones who didn't show up at the assembly yesterday." He continued. "It's funny. You kind of looked up to him as an older brother, didn't you?"

**End of Flashback**

"You're saying...you're the one who..." HE trailed off into silence for a moment then finished asking my question. "Itachi, you killed Shisui...?"

"I did..." He answered, without hesitation. "How else do you think I managed to obtain these powers? " Quick moment of silence "In the main hall of Naka Shrine, Underneath the seventh Tatami mat from the far right, is our clan's secret gathering place. There you'll find a secret document. An explanation for the Uchiha Clan's jutsu, it tells of the visual jutsu's true purpose."

"What" HE thought. "The true purpose"

"If you learn how to activate it, you will be the third person to have ever used the Mangekyo Sharingan, including myself. To insure that happens..." He chuckled, before he continued. "That's enough of reason to let you live...Well, that's all..." he said, before turning around. HE edged back, afraid he'd attack me. But he didn't. Instead, he simply walked away, saying, "Don't worry, you're not worth killing...My foolish little brother...If you wish to kill me...Foster your hate...Despise me...Seek revenge. Then one day, when you have the same eyes as me...Come back and face me..."

He looked back at me one last time, using the Mangekyo Sharingan. Soon after, the world around me faded, and then everything went black...

**End of Tsukuyomi**

After 3 seconds Sasuke started screaming. Naruto didn't understand what was happening and neither did Sasuke. He knew that the sharingan can see chakra to most extent and can distinguish between chakra signatures; he knew that it can cast genjutsu and can see through genjutsu and he knew that with it one can copy most of the ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. But this jutsu, he hasn't heard of this before.

When Itachi was about to leave, Naruto spoke "hey wait a minute, what did you do to him, is he will be alright"

"What do you think I have done, I showed him how I have killed our parents and every single of our clan member for 72 hours. And why do I care for his well-being, I have only allowed him to live so that one day I can kill him, when he becomes powerful enough and get this" with this he again showed both of them his new sharingan.

Naruto was angry while Sasuke was trembling through fear, he was conscious and he heard every single thing and he set his new goal to kill his brother and avenge his clan. Before Sasuke could speak Naruto continued "If you wanted to kill him then why didn't you do it now since in the future he will be more powerful and could be a threat to you so why in the future and not now"

"Because right now he is of no challenge and it would be pity to kill him, he is worthless of dying right now" he stated with his voice and eyes devoid of all emotions.

Before Sasuke could say anything Naruto spoke again "Remember this Itachi he will not kill you" after hearing this Sasuke was shocked while Itachi raised an eye brow but before anyone could ask what he meant by that he spoke again "He will break every single bone in your body and put you to death and then I will fix you and then he will do it again and this will continue until you beg for dying" Naruto stated with the same voice in Itachi spoke, a voice devoid of any emotions.

Before anyone could say or blink Sasuke attacked Itachi, he went for a punch on his head but Itachi blocked, he landed on the ground and swift his leg towards his leg but Itachi jumped. While still in the air Naruto launched a fire jutsu, Itachi used a substitution and launched some fire balls towards them, while they were busy dodging them, he threw several kunai and shuriken towards them. They tried their best to dodge them but one of the kunai hit Naruto in the eye, Naruto pulled it out and threw it aside only to notice that his eye was badly hurt and he realized that he would not be able to see again through that eyes.

Sasuke saw this and asked the blond "Naruto are you ok"  
>"Yes Sasuke I am fine let's end this fight" he replied with pain in his voice<p>

They charged towards Itachi with everything they got up their sleeves only to be beaten again. They were lying on the ground beaten and hurt very badly. At least Naruto was very badly hurt while Sasuke was more or less able to walk. Without any mercy Itachi threw more weapons towards them and Sasuke knew that he can either save himself or Naruto and then it hit him, everything slowed down, the kunai and shuriken were moving slowly and without any second thought he jumped towards the blond and then held a kunai in his hand and started tackling every single weapon thrown at them.

To his bad luck on shuriken hit him on leg and one shuriken hit Naruto on the other eye. That blonds luck lost both his eyes. And when he noticed Itachi was out of the house, he jumped out the house forgetting about his wounds and his friends wounds and spoke to Itachi "Itachi remember this I will find you and I will kill you"

"Very well, but first you have to get them" with that he flashed his eyes and showed his new sharingan to his little brother "This is mangekyo sharingan, the next level of sharingan. To achieve them you have to kill you best friend, that's why I have left him alive. If you want to kill me go and kill him first and when you awaken your eyes come and get me" with that he left

"No I won't kill him, I will find another way for this, or I will kill you without that cursed sharingan" with that said he remembered his friend and them rushed towards him and picked him up and started running out only to be stopped by the hokage and his ANBU

Sasuke handed Naruto to the hokage and due to chakra exhaustion he fell down, the hokage spoke "ANBU get them both towards the hospital and set up a barrier all over the compound nobody without permission would go inside. UNDERSTOOD" with that every ANBU nodded and hokage went to the hospital with one ANBU carrying Sasuke and he himself carrying Naruto.

**At The Hospital, 1 Day Later**

Sasuke woke up and saw hokage and some ANBU guarding the room. Before he could do and thing the hokage came forward and spoke "How are you feeling Sasuke?"

"I am feeling well Lord Hokage. How long was I out?" asked the boy  
>"About 1 day" replied the hokage<br>"Where is Naruto?" asked Sasuke  
>The hokage pointed towards the blond who was still unconscious lying just next to his bed<br>"Will he be all right?" asked the boy

"In a way to say yes but he would not be able to see. His both eyes are damaged and we was not able to do anything to recover them" replied the hokage

"Why don't you transplant his eyes to someone who is ready to donate" asked Sasuke  
>"That's the problem, no one is ready to do so" replied the hokage<p>

Sasuke understood what he meant by that statement as he has already witnessed the glares the villagers give to him but he still didn't knew why, so he asked "Why do the villagers give him those looks and glares?"

"That you see Sasuke my boy is and S-class secret and you are not old enough to know, once Naruto will be old enough I will tell him then it will be his decision whether to tell the others or not" replied the hokage

Before he could ask anything else the blond woke up and spoke "Hey where am I old man?"  
>"How did you know I was here Naruto my boy" asked the hokage<br>"Oh that I sensed your chakra" replied the blond

'He can sense chakra at such an early age incredible, maybe I should test him out' thought the hokage "Ok Naruto my boy you are in the hospital, you were attacked by Itachi, and you were badly injured so I brought you here" replied the hokage. He let the words sink in then continued without giving the blond to ask a question "Naruto can you tell how many people are there in this room and where are they?"

The blond did not understand why he was asking but he did it and sensed 7 people in the room and replied "There are 8 people in this room, me, you, Sasuke and 5 others. 4 are your ANBU that usually guard you in your office and one is the ANBU that sometimes look over me from distances and you usually assign him to me during time to time. As for your other questions, he is sitting over there" with that he pointed towards the sofa and spoke again "and he is kind of nervous while 2 are just outside the door, Sasuke is besides my bed and by his chakra looks like he is conscious and you are standing just besides him . While the last two ANBU are behind you using jutsu to hide them"

To say that the hokage was shocked would be an understatement; he was literally picking his jaw from the floor. 'He can sense all this now, what could he achieve in the near future if given proper attention' thought the hokage.

Before he could say anything the blond spoke "How is Sasuke and I mean mentally. I can see that he is physically alright but Itachi said something about showing him 72 hours of hell in 3 sec, I can hardly understand what he meant by that"

"I am alright Naruto, it was his cursed sharingan and some sort of new jutsu, I spent 72 hours there while he showed me how he killed every single member of my clan one by one, and when the jutsu ended it had been only 3 seconds" spoke the last Uchiha

Before Naruto could say something he spoke again "How are you Naruto?"

"I am fine just a little pain in my eyes and these bandages are troublesome. Hey did I say 'troublesome' damn you Shikamaru, your speech is getting to me" at this everyone in the room started laughing and they were relieved that his eye problem did not get to him, he spoke again "So old man I guess I cannot see from either one or both my eyes, so what is it, one or both?"

"You can't see from both eye's my boy but-"before the hokage could say anything Sasuke completed that sentence "But it is temporary"

"What do you mean by that Sasuke?" the hokage and Naruto speak in unison.

"I mean by that is that my whole clan is murdered by my big brother so nobody would say anything if a pair of sharingan is implanted instead of your eyes" he then looked towards the hokage and spoke "Lord Hokage I want to donate my dad's eye to Naruto"

"Very well and something else you would like to say before I take my leave" the hokage asked

"Yeah I would also like to keep my mom's eye as well as eyes my uncle and aunt and the rest of the eyes are to be destroyed and if you can check, then please check if all the eyes are intact or not" asked Sasuke

"Very well" replied the hokage and with that he took his leave  
>"Why are you giving me your dad's eye" asked the blond<p>

"Because you are my friend and because we both will find and kill Itachi together and plus sharingan is a very powerful dojutsu. If my clan would have been alive then also I would have given you the sharingan, it was my thought from the past few days" replied Sasuke

"Thanks" said Naruto and further spoke "Does your family keep spare sharingan of the deceased"  
>"Yes but there are very few and those who are considered strong, only their eyes are kept" replied Sasuke<br>"And who are considered strong?" asked the blond  
>"Mainly clan heads or prodigies of the generation" replied Sasuke<p>

"Then don't give me your dad's eye, it belongs to you and you will be emotionally attached to it and if you want to give it to me for power, then give me the oldest or the strongest" replied Naruto

"Very well as you say, but first implant my dad's eye and then later you can pick any eye you want, I will take you to Naka Shrine" replied Sasuke

"What is Naka Shrine?" asked the boy

"It is a secret place under the Uchiha compound where the secrets of the sharingan are kept only an Uchiha with an awaken sharingan can open it" replied Sasuke

"Are you sure you want to show that place to me, I mean I am not an Uchiha and all" replied Naruto

"It doesn't matter there is no Uchiha left leaving me and Itachi and besides from him you are my only family, you are like my little brother so it doesn't harm to show you that place and I also want to see it" replied Sasuke

"Ok. WAIT LITTLE BROTHETR, the brother part I understand but why little and don't say that because of my height" replied Naruto

"I am 1 month older than you" replied Sasuke with a serious look on his face.  
>"Oh man" Naruto cried and Sasuke burst into laughing.<p>

**Sometime later**

"Naruto you can proceed to operation theatre, Inu please guide him" the hokage commanded both of them  
>"Sasuke there is a problem, 5 pair of eyes are missing and the rest are destroyed" he handed him the scroll and continued "The eyes you requested are sealed inside them and now tell me everything that happened"<p>

Sasuke started explaining everything that had happen, about the mangekyo sharingan and the killing part and the Tsukuyomi and everything else.

"Now if that is the case, then I think either Itachi took the 5 pair, or there were 5 more shinobi who helped him in return for those 5 pair of eyes" the hokage stated

"I will think of that when I become genin, till then I have to train and learn to use my sharingan" stated Sasuke

"Very well, now I will take my leave" with that the hokage left the room

**The next day – Uchiha Compound**

They left the hospital, and went directly towards the Nara Shrine. Sasuke didn't ask any questions about why he wanted the oldest or strongest sharingan and it didn't bother him either. They went to the specific tomb and Sasuke did the necessary hand seals which Naruto copied because his sharingan was activated and he didn't knew how to control it.

**Inside the Nara Shrine**

They went down the stairs and stood in the middle of the room, on the sides there were shelves and on them were scrolls and books, Naruto guessed they would be about clan's secret and all. When they moved towards one of the shelves, Sasuke place one scroll on it and searched and picked one scroll and pulled it out.

Due to Naruto's curiosity, he asked "Hey Sasuke what was that scroll and what is this scroll?"

"In that scroll was the eyes of my family excluding Itachi and in this scroll are eyes of the clan head and prodigies of the clan" with that said he unsealed the scroll and there were about 25 jar filled with some liquid and in the middle of each, a pair of eye.

Naruto started looking towards them and picked 5 jars which were about decades ago. He then closed his eyes and picked one of them. It was named after Izuna Uchiha. He opened them and picked up the eyes and implanted them. Since he knew medical ninjutsu, it was a piece of cake for him. After that he dropped Fugaku's eyes into the jar and handed it to Sasuke. Sasuke immediately sealed that jar among his other family members. When they were about to move something strange happen, Naruto fell unconscious.

**After a while**

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Sasuke looking at him with shocked eyes. Naruto spoke "What happened to me and what happened to you? Did you saw a ghost or something?"

"Your eyes, they are back to normal, they are not the activated sharingan" replied Sasuke

"Oh yeah, I can't see chakra and the vision is back to normal, but you said that if a non Uchiha transplant these eyes, they cannot be deactivated, does this means that I don't have a sharingan now" the blond asked

"Channel your chakra to your eyes and then let's see what the result comes" said the raven haired boy

Naruto channelled chakra to his eyes and to Sasuke's amazement his sharingan came back to view with 3 tomoe's in each eye while Sasuke had 1 tomoe in each eye.

He spoke to the blond "Congrats Naruto you have a fully matured sharingan once again"

"But it doesn't make sense, I am not an Uchiha, so how?" he stopped for a moment and spoke "Maybe we should talk to old man about this" he suggested. Sasuke nodded in agreement and with that they left for the hokage office.

**Hokage's Office**

"Old man you have to see this to believe this" with that said he switched off his sharing and surprised the hokage and the ANBU's about this.

After some time the hokage spoke "Everyone in this room, it's an S-class secret, do not talk about this until Naruto himself decides to reveal it" and when everyone nodded, he spoke again "Now young man care to explain"

With that said they both began to explain everything and the hokage nodded and spoke "Well this could mean only one thing, that sharingan mutated your DNA and found a common ground for Uzumaki and Uchiha bloodline. Maybe it was because those eyes were very powerful or maybe it was not used for decades"

"What Uzumaki bloodline, I didn't knew there was a bloodline in me" asked the blond

"Yes, the Uzumaki possess special chakra, your mother was able to create chakra chains and you must also have something like that or something else entirely or maybe that change of sharingan is because of your chakra and the Uzumaki clan was also know for large chakra reserves and it was feared due to their skills in fuinjutsu, maybe that's why you like fuinjutsu so much"

"Now what do you mean clan and was feared?" asked Naruto

"Yes, the Uzumaki was a clan and were distant cousins to Senju and they helped in the formation of the hidden leaf village but they were never a part of it. The swirl on the back of the jonin and Chunin crest is a symbol of friendship towards the Uzumaki clan. They made seals and weapons for the hidden leaf village, without their help we would not have survived the first, second and third great ninja war. During the third ninja war they were destroyed by the hidden stone village and hidden cloud village. By the time we sent our shinobi and your mother there, they were already destroyed" stated the hokage

"Old man tell me more about my mother" asked the blond

"Naruto I told you that it is an S-class secret and once you become genin I will tell you two secrets about your life which will include about your mother, you can choose whether you want to share your know secrets with your friends or not and once you became Chunin I will tell you about your father and once more secrets, until then work hard" stated the third hokage"

"What's with all this secrets, it looks like you are living a life full of secrets and nothing else" stated Sasuke

"Sasuke it's because his parents made lot of enemies and if they get to know about Naruto, then they will come after him and he is not strong enough to protect himself" stated the hokage

"Okay" they both spoke together and then they left.

**Nara Shrine – 1 month later**

They went again towards the Nara Shrine to study more about sharingan and its abilities and to go through the library. Once there they spent their whole month to go through the library and clans secret. They find very little information about the mangekyo sharingan nothing they already didn't know.

**Description of Sharingan according to the scrolls**

The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see chakra flow. The Sharingan itself gives colour to chakra, allowing the wielder to differentiate them. They are also able to tell if a person is under a genjutsu because the person's chakra flow would be irregular. The Sharingan's second-most prominent ability grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to easily recognise genjutsu and different forms of chakra, though not to the same extent as the Byakugan. This also allows the user to pick up on subtle details, enabling them to read lip movements or mimic something like pencil movements.

As the Sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user, allowing them to see the image of an attacker's next move from the slightest muscle tension in their body and counter-attack or dodge without any wasted movement. However, even though the user may be able to see an attack or know it is coming, their body may not always have time to react.

The Sharingan's third and most well-known ability is that it grants the user the ability to copy almost any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other Kekkai Genkai techniques. The user can memorise ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with near-perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as their own, or even modify them to create their own new techniques. In order to reproduce a copied technique, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. In addition to physical skill and Kekkai Genkai techniques, the Sharingan cannot reproduce techniques dependent on other factors, such as summons that the user has not signed a contract with.

The Sharingan's final commonly-used ability is capable of inducing a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent through genjutsu cast by simple eye contact between both parties. More advanced Sharingan users can take the hypnosis ability even further to the point where a powerful or even a tailed beast may be controlled. In a similar manner, one can enter a jinchuriki's subconscious to effectively suppress the tailed beast's chakra. While this control can be absolute when used on a single target, when cast on multiple ones, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain said control, giving chance for stronger targets like the tailed beasts to temporarily break free in certain instances.

The hypnotic ability coupled with the other aspects of the Sharingan can make the user appear as if they can "see the future". First, the user must perfectly mimic every move their opponent makes and possibly their thoughts and words through careful observation. Then, they suggest an action to the opponent such as hand seals for a technique that the opponent and Sharingan user already know and copy that. With these things done, the user can complete the action even before the opponent does, possibly using the Sharingan's genjutsu to confuse or delay them. As with other genjutsu, genjutsu cast by the Sharingan are capable of putting an opponent to sleep, inducing paralysis, replaying memories to someone else via genjutsu, or creating various illusions to deceive someone or torture the person. The potency of the Sharingan's illusion is dependent on the user's knowledge and skill with implementing genjutsu. Two Sharingan users are also able to free each other from other forms of genjutsu by first using genjutsu on each other, allowing them to enter their comrade's mind and free each other from the genjutsu.

In addition, more rarely used by the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan can allow the user to perform two very powerful and unique genjutsu: **Izanagi** and **Izanami**, which alters or decide one's destiny, respectively. Using **Izanagi**, the user can warp reality for a short amount of time, changing reality into illusion and illusion into reality, thus escaping death and rewriting destiny; although to make use of this technique to its full extent, the user must have extreme chakra levels. **Izanami**, on the other hand, is a genjutsu that traps the victim in an infinite loop disregarding their five senses, this technique was specifically created to counter anyone who would abuse **Izanagi's** ability to alter their destiny, by forcing the victims to relive the situation over and over until they accept it and cease using **Izanagi**. Both techniques have been labelled kinjutsu, because use of either causes the eye that performed **Izanagi** or **Izanami** to close forever.

Although the Sharingan consumes the user's chakra while active, the amount of chakra that the user must exert is so insignificant that they can keep it active constantly. However, when a Sharingan is transplanted to a non-Uchiha, the chakra drain is significant, leading them to cover it up when not in use.

The Sharingan's power, because of its ties to the **Curse of Hatred**, is both a blessing and a curse. The moment that an Uchiha comes to know a powerful emotion towards someone, such as love and friendship, a stressful or emotional condition brought out from losing that precious person causes the brain to release a special form of chakra that affects the optic nerves while transforming the eyes into Sharingan. After its initial activation, the Sharingan may be used freely, although it is possible for an Uchiha to lose memory of such an event and not reactivate it until through willpower years later. When the Sharingan is first activated by a user, it has a different number of tomoe around the central pupil, varying between users.

The wielder of the Sharingan, through continued use and training, changes its form further, which involves the eye maturing fully until it has three tomoe. As the Sharingan develops, the user gains heightened abilities through the heightened ocular sense. For example, they can at least copy hand movements with one tomoe, predict a person's movement and copy techniques with two and completely use the Sharingan's abilities when it is fully matured.

**End of the description**

"So, it seems that sharingan is the strongest dojutsu, I doubt that even the byakugan can match this" replied Naruto

"Yes, sharingan is the strongest dojutsu, and Itachi managed to activate a new level of sharingan that was more powerful that the normal, byakugan is nowhere near to sharingan" said Sasuke

"What did he said about his new eyes?" asked Naruto  
>"He said that it was mangekyo sharingan, and to achieve it, I must kill my best friend" replied Sasuke<p>

"So, you are planning to kill me" said Naruto, but then he saw Sasuke's annoyed look and apologized "Sorry, I was just kidding, I know you won't do that to me, after all you are not Itachi. You are Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha, my older brother"

"Thanks Naruto" he said smiling

They got many scrolls on many jutsu, within two months they mastered every single fire jutsu they laid their hands on. They read all the history of the Uchiha compound and since Naruto was now un-officially an Uchiha, they didn't have any problem what so ever. Naruto also started spending nights in Sasuke's house in one of the empty rooms because of the intense training.

They found several other scrolls which they later on realized that they needed mangekyo sharingan to read them and Sasuke tries to find the true purpose of visual powers but he failed to do so. There was no other way to achieve the mangekyo but Sasuke realized that if killing his best friend is a way then it certainly has something to do with the trauma or guilt that comes after killing. Since the sharingan normally awakens at intense situations, he realized that he can awake his mangekyo without killing Naruto, only he needed was the trauma and guilt that comes after it.

They also learned two forbidden techniques of the Uchiha clan, **Izanagi** which can change fate and re-write it, such as escape death and **Izanami** as its counter, it is an infinite loop of illusion which forces the opponent to accept his fate or change his decision or understand the wrong of his ways; in short it changes one's destiny. But as the cost for this, one has to lose one of his sharingan. They also learned to implant any of the sharingan's ability to any eye with an illusion.

**After a month later**

"From the first day that you approached me, that day at the dock...you never really seemed younger than me." Naruto sent his friend a confused glance. "Obviously I'm not talking about physically since you were a midget back then," Sasuke expertly ignored Naruto's glare and continued, "and I also had the preconceived notion that you were a pranking, ramen, orange loving dobe." Naruto snorted at that, making Sasuke smirk before his expression turned serious again.

"But then we started hanging out and talking more, and even though at first you tried to hide it, your true personality was starting to surface. Certain things you said and did, things I'd catch you reading or writing before you hid it were way beyond what the dead last should have been capable of." Naruto shifted, uncomfortable of the reminder of when he hid his true self from his friend. His eyes widened when he saw one of Sasuke's rare, true smiles on the Uchiha's stern face.

"Then you trusted me enough to drop the mask, then later telling me you're most important secrets." Sasuke clenched his hand on his shirt, fisting it over his heart. "I admit at first that I thought the reason you were so smart and mature was because of third hokage, but then you told me about council and how you were treated." Naruto as well had clenched his hands into fists, staring down at them and giving a weak laugh.

"When you kept getting stronger so fast while we were training, I couldn't understand how and I was jealous, wanting that strength to defeat my brother, but when you told me your reasons for trying so hard," Sasuke remembered the day he had simply asked Naruto, "telling me you were growing stronger to protect your precious people, to protect your home, your village, and to prove to those who have mistreated you your entire life...and the whole time you were striving towards a goal people constantly told you was impossible for someone like you..." Sasuke took a few deep breaths as he took in the sight of the entire village, the significance of such a scene.

Naruto had taught him that the Uchiha didn't define Konoha, the Uchiha was only a part of Konoha, a rather small part if one took into account all the separate clans, non-clan ninja, and civilians. And while Sasuke still valued his clan, he understood that it was not superior towards the village or anyone in it, that he was a member of Konoha and that that was where his loyalty should lie. Naruto taught him that strength came from the will to protect, not just the desire for revenge. It was Naruto that taught him to really understand the 'Will of Fire' that Konoha was so well known for. He turned to Naruto, showing him his own 'Will of Fire', the fire that Naruto had ignited in him.

"I respect you because you are stronger than me. You also made me understand how you gained that strength. I respect your determination, I support your goal, and I trust in your 'Will of Fire.'" He faced Naruto full on, his back straight and his eyes serious. "You are my first and only best friend. You are family in all but blood, closer and more trustworthy than my own family was and an even better older brother than Itachi was." Naruto stared wide eyed at Sasuke, watching as he held up his hand, palm front and fingers spread slightly.

"My, that was the longest I've heard you speak in a while." Naruto gave a mischievous smirk. "Are you professing your undying love to me, Sasuke? If so, many of your fan girls will be very disappointed." Sasuke's cheeks reddened as he sputtered behind his hands, making Naruto laugh out loud.

"Shut up, I can't believe you said that!" He shouted indignantly, only making Naruto laugh harder. Eventually, Sasuke couldn't help but join Naruto in his laughter, finding his amusement rather contagious. The two eventually quieted down, lapsing into a comfortable silence as they turned their attention to the darkened sky, the stars sparkling brightly now that the sun had gone.


	4. Chapter 3 : The Hyuga Prank

**Chapter 3: The Hyuga Prank**

**After 1 and a half year – End of the 3rd year of the ninja academy**

It has been a year and a half since the massacre of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke is acting more cool and determined since then, and he talks to his friends but only when necessary and he usually be himself only around Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke are both 11, they both learned many fire jutsu and many jutsu based on their affinity. Naruto had taught Sasuke how to make solid henge, it was difficult in the beginning, but it becomes a lot easier afterwards, they both had perfected their taijutsu style, both learned the basic styles any implanted some of their own moves in them making it their original creation.

They both have kept it a secret that Naruto and he both have an awakened sharingan, as for everyone, they believe Sasuke is the last Uchiha with a sharingan that is yet to be awaken. During one of their training in the previous year, Sasuke awakened his third tomoe in each eye due to the excitement of the situation. Now they both had a fully matured sharingan and they both knew how to control them. Very few people knew their abilities one the hokage and two some of his trusted ANBU.

They both had started and completed the first stage of their elemental training in fire element and they were already doing the second stage from this year. Naruto has completed his intermediate fuinjutsu and now he was headed towards advance fuinjutsu, he learned to do the basic medical ninjutsu to heal and to do other things but he can't find anything after that in the books. The hokage have given them instructions and guidelines throughout the year but haven't helped them directly because of the council and they both knew this. Naruto has created some gravity and restriction seals and placed them on both him and Sasuke and they are progressing very fast, one can say that they are already Chunin level.

Sasuke was not playing pranks very much often but usually tag along on large scale pranks but he was getting back to normal, he just needed a little more time. It was peaceful in the village hidden in the Leaves. Twilight was just ending and the night was beginning with the appearance of the first stars in the night sky. The scene was tranquil in every sense with the fading light capturing the village until one voice run through ichiraku ramen shop.

"WHAT" was the rather load appreciation Teuchi and Ayame of Ichiraku ramen received from their favourite customer Naruto Uzumaki, the so called 'Demon Brat' among other 'special' names. To this day Naruto couldn't understand the meaning of the names or what he had done to deserve his titles.

Naruto couldn't help but think, 'I know I've pulled a lot of pranks over the years but to be called a demon and to be treated the way I do? It just doesn't make sense. I didn't even start my pranks until my first year in the academy but the names have been flying around since I can remember' These thoughts rolled through Naruto's mind almost daily since the names were used just as often, but that didn't matter tonight.

Tonight was a very special night for Naruto. He was going to pull off his most ingenious prank ever. Tonight he planned to get revenge on the stuck up white eyed teme's. Out of all the times he had been mistreated, beaten, thrown out of stores and refused service never had someone done what these teme's had done. It was unforgivable

"Naruto, are you… are you really are going to go through with doing a prank on the Hyuga?" was the concerned question from Ayame knowing just as every other villager, the physical and political might the clan wielded.

In a solemn voice Naruto replied "Ayame, you've seen how I've been treated all my life." Teuchi and Ayame look down remembering everything they had seen.

"I can ignore all of that because I have a few people like you who are kind to me, but after what those three said and did" as he said those words Naruto's fist tightened until his chop sticks cracked apart in his hand as he remembered the indignity he suffered at the hands of those men. At least after a beating he had his pride but these men didn't even allow him that

**Flashback – The night before**

"Thanks for dinner old man" said Naruto as he began to stand from his stool.

"Any time Naruto, you just train hard for your exam!" with the cheers from his favourite chef Naruto began to leave his favourite and possibly only, eating place. As he exited the bar he bumped right into someone almost knocking them over.

"Sorry about that. It was my fault" Naruto apologized as he looked up into those void pale white eyes that always sent a shiver down his spine. 'Those eyes just don't look right. At least that one girl in my class with those eyes has some colour to them, but these ones are just creepy' As Naruto was getting up he was roughly shoved back down to the ground by one of the other two Hyuga.

"How dare you act in such a callous way to us you little brat, what do you think you're doing attacking one of the noble members of the Hyuga clan!" said one of the two bodyguards forcefully, the disgust and hatred clear in his voice.

"Attacking, I just bumped into him, I even apologized" pleaded Naruto trying to avoid another fight with the villagers.

"Too late DEMON" Naruto then received a harsh chakra enhanced strike, sending him right into a nearby wall, leaving a few cracks from the impact of his body. At this point Teuchi was heading over to help, but one look from Naruto stopped him in his tracks.

While straining with the pain, and spitting out a little blood, Naruto said to his assailants, "I don't know what your problem is with me, but I already apologized for the accident and I don't want trouble so I'll be going home now" Naruto struggled to his feet and began to shamble in the direction of his apartment, only to hear the words that would haunt him for months to come. Not that he was afraid of the Hyuga, far from it. It was the truth in the words that hurt him so. Even if he didn't want to believe it he knew they were telling the truth.

"As if a demon like you has a home to go to. No one's waiting for you, no one wants you. You're just a little demon who will never be accepted by anyone. Worthless" The one who seemed like the leader of the three said these words with ice in his voice and the most evil smirk plastered on his face. After hearing the icy words of the man Naruto finally snapped all the years of abuse, neglect, and indifference towards him flashed before his eyes. Every injustice, so called punishment, and the glares filled with hate and loathing. He always hated the villagers for the way he was treated, but he'd always just pushed it away and continued on heading for his dream. He knew acting out any more than he did would only give them more of a reason to hate him. This however was too much. He could deal with all the pain, loneliness, and hate but to have it thrown in his face. His pride would never allow such a thing.

In a rage he had never known before, his eyes flashed blood red, and he blurred out of existence, shocking the old man and Ayame. Then, just as suddenly, he reappeared right in between the three Hyuga; to say the three men were shocked would be an extreme understatement. One minute they were taunting the demon brat, waiting for it to start crying, and the next he appears right in their faces with those piercing red eyes burning into them. Using their shock Naruto, in one fluid motion, kicks the legs right out from under the one Hyuga standing to the right of the leader with a sweeping round house only to pull ninja wire out of his sleeve to wrap around the arms of the Hyuga on the left who tried to strike the side of his head only for it to brush across his left arm.

Too late Naruto realizes that the strike was some kind of jutsu and, to his shock his whole left arm went numb with a slight burning in it. As the pain from the strike set in Naruto's rage disappeared as quickly as it came. 'Shit what was that' he thought now freaking out "I can't move my arm. This is bad, why did I lose my temper like that? Two of them are obviously Chunin and I don't know about the other. I'm so screwed; I might have a chance against one Chunin"

While Naruto was recovering from the attack, the first Hyuga was up again and was able to land a devastating blow to side of Naruto's head sending him straight into the same wall as before, cracking it further. "Take that you insolent little brat" the hit to his head was making his mind swim and Naruto was barely standing with the pain freshly pumping through him. "How dare you disgrace the mighty Hyuga like this? As a member of the head family I will pass down your punishment." Looking on with dull blue eyes Naruto could easily tell that they had gathered quite the crowd and that the Hyuga in front of him was screaming something or other and taking the strangest stance he had ever seen. Even though he was barely aware of his surroundings at the time, because of the pain he was in, he couldn't help but be interested in the jutsu.

The Hyuga took his stance, crouching low to the ground legs spread stretching both arms in opposite directions palms facing up. As he took this stance he said the simple words, "You are within the field of my divination"  
>While Naruto looked on with hazy eyes all he could think was, "Why does this always happen to me? What have I done in my life? And what the hell is he doing?"<br>After this simple thought the last thing Naruto could hear was a roar of, "**Eight Trigrams 64 Palms, 2 palms, 4 palms, 8 palms, 16 palms, 32 palms, 64 strikes, HA!**"

One strike after another landed painfully on Naruto and with everyone he felt less and less, which he was thankful for. With the final strike Naruto was thrown viciously into the same wall for a third and final time. The final blow was too strong for the already damaged wall to take and it finally gave way and collapsed right on top of our hero covering him from site.

Once the attack was finished Ayame was crying on her father's shoulder for Naruto's pain. "Those teme's, to do that to a child," were Teuchi's only words to express his anger. Before the crowd had completely dispersed the leader of the three Hyuga gave the simple statement, "Trash belongs in the garbage." With that said several sadistic grins appeared in the crowd as they watched happily.

Before either Teuchi or Ayame could stop it the two branch members had already tossed Naruto's broken body into a nearby dumpster and walked away behind the main family member. Leaving the caring ramen cooks to aid the fallen boy.

**End of flashback**

"I can't let that go so easily Ayame" said Naruto solemnly.  
>"Naruto what are you planning to do?" asked a very concerned Ayame.<p>

Naruto looked serious for a moment before breaking out into a foxy grin, "It is better if you don't know Ayame. Just be sure to be open early tomorrow. I'll be needing breakfast when I'm done! And I'm sure you'll get a good laugh too." with that said Naruto left the ramen bar with a black pack slung over his shoulder, filled with who knows what.

There have been many pranksters in Konoha's history but none as famous as Uzumaki Naruto. He has pulled more pranks than any other and has yet to be caught for any of them by anyone other than Iruka or the third Hokage, the legendary 'Professor' himself, and even then they have had a hard time proving he had pulled them, even though it was obvious he had. This alone has made him legendary for his stealth and pranking abilities within the village. He has even been able to prank multiple Chunin, Jonin, and any others that have gotten on his bad side. The only ones that seem out of league for Naruto's prank abilities are the ANBU and the Hokage himself. But that didn't stop him from trying now did it? Even while being perused by the ANBU Naruto was still able to give them the slip one way or another. The ANBU were always able to find him and even track him rather easily but every time they had cornered him he was able to disappear again! Many had started to believe he knew some advanced form of the Body Flicker or teleportation technique, but they have never found out if he did. Many just chalk it up to his foxy ways…

After all these years of pranks only Umuino Iruka has been able to capture the elusive blonde on a regular basis. Whether Iruka's skills surpass Naruto's or if the blonde just surrenders to the scarred Chunin is unknown, but to this day no one knows how he always manages to escape. His knowledge of Konoha's alleys and short cuts was second to none almost infamous really, along with his own sexy jutsu which was the cause of a lot of the escapes, but the mystery of how he does what he does is still a mystery

Tonight he wasn't playing a prank on just anyone. No ANBU, jonin, or ninja in general could compare with this. Tonight he was going to prank the famous Hyuga clan, wielders of the Byakugan. The rumoured all seeing eyes. He had heard rumours of its ability to see through solid objects, 360 degrees, the chakra circulatory system, and even the chakra points. Scary, and supposedly it was supposed to do even more. This alone meant extreme caution. That is exactly why we now find our hero hiding behind a building on the edge of the Hyuga compound. Using the cover of night he is preparing for the upcoming mission. Changing out of his signature orange jumpsuit Naruto began re-examining his plans for the night.

"Everything has to be perfect. Let's see, first I need to get past the guards and then sneak into the first of the four buildings in the compound. Two of them seem to be living quarters and the other one seems to be a kitchen and storage of some kind, with the last, apparently the main building, most likely filled with greeting halls, meeting spots, and other boring stuff like that. The garden that runs between the two residential buildings would be the best cover. 'I wonder why the family is split into two houses, they could have made it easier for me by all being in the same building' Naruto then looked more closely to try and see if there was some kind of trick to the compound. If one of the buildings were actually a trap for intruders, then he most likely would miss breakfast.

"It seems one of those buildings could hold them all so why would they separate themselves? I don't see any traps; maybe they just like their space? But one of the sections seems to be more lavish than the other. I wonder if maybe there is a difference between the two groups" Naruto decided to finish his thought aloud.

"Well it doesn't make a difference now." Naruto stood wearing black ANBU style pants that seemed to absorb all light around them. They ended with basic black bandages wrapped tightly around his ankles leading into black shinobi sandals with red trim that ended higher on his calves for better support. On his upper body he wore a skin tight black long sleeved t-shirt, black fingerless gloves, and bandages tied around the lower half of his face to hide the tell-tale whisker marks.

"This is much better! I wish I could dress like this all the time, but it took me nearly a month to save up for this set of clothes! With the little money I have left after my living budget, not to mention I had to use a henge to get into the store to buy them, too bad I can't. I like orange and all but it's just a little too noticeable. But if it wasn't for me having to learn stealth in bright orange I probably wouldn't be this good. Maybe I could get a black and orange outfit or maybe just a mask? Well, that's enough daydreaming, it's time to move"

Before Naruto ran off he tied a long black cloth over his head hiding his hair completely to finish his disguise. "They may be able to see through solid objects but it doesn't hurt to be safe" Moving as quickly and quietly as he could Naruto jumped the outer wall of the garden and while staying in the shadows he began circling the inner wall of the compound looking for an opening in the guards watch. Luckily for him none of them seemed to use their prized Byakugan.

"I was worried that this was going to end before it began." The arrogance of the Hyuga was ridiculous. Only one guard was stationed at every entrance to the complex and three walking the grounds. Not even guards at the doors to the houses. After circling the grounds twice he finally saw the perfect opening! With a burst of chakra enhanced speed he rushed to the tree closest to his target and with a quick rebound off the tree he flew to what he assumed to be a hallway window.

The closest guard looked around to see what the rustling sound a moment ago was but only found a slight unsettling of dust. With a slight shrug he decided to patrol the houses just to be safe. Once inside Naruto quickly merged with the shadows of the walls just as he was trained to do. He then began his search for his intended targets. While moving from room to room Naruto practiced paranoia he had never known. At the slightest noise, moving shadow, new scent or just an out of place shiver on his skin he would **henge** into a rug or other common item in an instant. Because of his **solid henge**, it was very difficult for the byakugan also to tell the difference. It was a good practice too as his paranoia had saved him a couple of times from a guard making his rounds.

Three hours after the start of his infiltration, Naruto was reaching the end of his job. Slipping into every room of the compound proved to be more of a challenge than he had thought it would be. The place was huge, almost maze-like, but he had still done it. Now, on the last few rooms, Naruto was getting the biggest swell of pride for his own accomplishments since he had mastered substitution without hand seals. He hardly got recognized for anything other than pranks. At least when he pulled pranks people were awed until they discovered it was him. Some praise is better than none.

As soon as he entered the next room and began to acquire his target, he caught a familiar scent that made his stomach drop. The only thing that he could think was "Hinata?" As he turned to look at the sleeping girl in front of him (while holding a pair of lacy violet panties!) several thoughts ran through his head but the most prevalent was 'I can't do this to Hinata, she's never done anything to me. She's actually been one of the nicest people in the whole village. Also I had no idea Hinata had this kind of side to her' he thought while putting the panties back and finding a lot more racier ones in varying colours and designs, earning a raised eyebrow.

As he thought of this, images of a blushing, stuttering, Hinata that was complimenting him in a quiet almost whispering voice entered his mind. Next came all the times he spotted her following him with that same blush as well as her habit of poking her fingers together. He couldn't help but wonder "I wonder why she follows me sometimes? She also hides whenever I turn her way or try to approach her, she obviously isn't following me around to talk, maybe there's another reason?" With a slight blush he decides, "No" he couldn't do it, he couldn't prank her. With one last look at the peacefully sleeping girl he slipped out of the room just as quietly as he had come. "Now to finish the job and get out of here. Good night Hinata, I hope you like the show in the morning"

**The Next Morning**

The following morning in Konoha could only be described as pure chaos. All over the village, in trees, on the ground, hanging from just about everywhere you could think to look was the entire Hyuga clan's clothing from their signature cream coloured jackets to their unmentionables. While the entirety of the Hyuga clan was out gathering what was left of their pride our blonde hero was sitting at his favourite restaurant enjoying a well-earned breakfast, the food of kings, RAMEN!

Even though Naruto had just gone an entire night without sleep, here he was in the same clothes as the night before except for the absence of the cloth covering his hair, wrappings around his face, and the addition of his signature orange jacket hanging open showing off his tight black shirt. He also had his goggles hanging around his neck as he listened to the praise of his favourite chefs.

"I can't believe you actually did it you little brat!" was Teuchi's boisterous congratulations. "Everyone is going to be talking about this one for years! Naruto," was the excited Comment from Ayame.

"Ha-ha-ha I hope so! What else would you expect from the next Hokage when he pulls a prank?" then taking a more serious tone Naruto said "This was really meant to drop them down a few pegs though"

"Really how does a prank do that? I understand having their clothes and well you-know- what's thrown all over the village being embarrassing, but how would it drop the view of their skills or reputation? The Hyuga are one of Konoha's four noble clans after all?" asked Teuchi as he handed Naruto another bowl of ramen.

"Well it really means nothing to normal villagers but as a funny prank. On the other hand to trained shinobi it's a matter of village security. Not only was the compound of the most powerful clan infiltrated, but every room was entered and raided without notice," was Naruto's response with noodles hanging from his mouth.

"Ok Naruto but what does that prove other than that you're sneaky?" Ayame asked with a grin while serving another customer.

"Well let me answer your question with another one. If I could sneak into their compound to steal their clothes by entering every room one by one without being noticed, what's to stop me from sneaking in there and slitting their throats while they slept?" when this was said the entire restaurant went silent with shock.

The few people that were in the building this early were listening intently to the legendary prankster's explanation of his masterpiece. Now at the realization that an academy student, a legendary one, but an academy student nonetheless, could possibly wipe out the Hyuga in one night was alarming. It would be like the Uchiha all over again! If the demon brat could do this then that else was capable of it? Even the most skilled of shinobi are powerless when asleep! Before anyone could say another word a loud scream of, "I found him! He's over here!" came from just outside the shop.

When Naruto peered out he saw two Hyuga, three Chunin, and one really pissed off looking Hyuga Hiashi. "Ha-ha, hi guys…BYE GUYS!" and with that the chase was on.

Throughout the village people could hear the screams of, "Get back here brat!", "You won't escape this time!", "You've gone too far this time Naruto!", and of course his favourite, "Get the demon!" Even with all this Naruto couldn't help but have fun with the chase. "You losers are just jealous that you don't have the skill or guts to do what I do!" called Naruto while jumping from building to building.

"Get back here Naruto! You will be taken to see the hokage for punishment!", "If you give yourself up your sentence will be reduced," came the cries of his pursuers. The chase had started at around 6am that morning and was already well into 8 o'clock and they were still not even remotely close to capturing Naruto.

"This kid is insane!" yelled a branch member  
>"How can he have this kind of stamina?" yelled another<br>"We never should have split up from the main group!" yelled another

While the two Chunin were having their strategy meeting Naruto was having a nice breather on a high balcony. "These guys just won't give up! Normally I would just hide for a while to rest but with Hyuga after me I can barely stop for two minutes before I'm found! At this rate I'll be caught for the first time!" With this grim realization Naruto decided to try and get to the academy as fast as he could, especially since his exam was supposed to be in an hour.

Moving with the shadows he headed in the direction of the academy but before he could get more then twenty-five feet there was a cry of, "There he is!" as Naruto spun around all he could do was yell his horror at what he was seeing. "AHH FUCK NO!" he yelled

Standing in the direction he had just come from was a group of 9 Hyuga guards, 6 Chunin, 2 ANBU, numerous random villagers, and what looked like at least 15 Hyuga females with a 'kill you painfully' look in their eyes. With that sight and a large amount of fear he was off. At around 9am Naruto had finally lost them by using every trick he knew. Every short cut, dead end, camouflage, Henge, Substitution, and, to his great displeasure, he had even resorted to using his sexy jutsu! He had only really created that jutsu to improve his skill with Henge and to prank Iruka! He had never dreamed one day he'd be relying on it! As Naruto was slipping around the last corner on his way to the academy he let out a breath of relief saying "I finally made it! He-he-he I knew those idiot's could never catch me."

From behind Naruto came a calm and slightly mocking voice. "Oh really Naruto, what are you doing being late for class? And not only that but you almost missed your exam"

If Hiashi's glaring, a group of murderous women, and actual ANBU chasing after him had been scary then this was just plain terrifying. With a scream of fright and a twelve foot jump in the air Naruto spun around and pointed at his sensei yelling, "How do you always do that?" Looking at Naruto with a bored expression Iruka just grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and disappeared in a puff of smoke with a pair of ANBU right on his tail.

**Ninja Academy, His Class Room**

Inside the classroom all of the students were chatting amongst themselves on various topics, waiting for the exam to start. The main topic though was of course the 'Great Hyuga Humiliation.' Questions of, "How could that happen?", "Who did it?" and "Aren't the Hyuga supposed to be all seeing?" were just a few that flew about the room as the children continued. Some of the more arrogant in the room would reply with foolish ideas like, "It must be another hidden village trying to prove something!" Or "It must be a new invisibility jutsu and the Hyuga's were the test." Or "No it's got to be some new kind of Kekkai Genkai that can block the Hyuga power." After about twenty minutes of the students minds running wild Iruka puffed into the room with Naruto by the scruff of his neck followed by the two ANBU that were escorting them ready to grab Naruto at a moment's notice. At the entrance of these four everyone went silent to watch what would take place. As well as observe Naruto's change of clothes.

The first thing the students notice is the long black ANBU style pants that end with wrappings and modified black shinobi sandals with red trim. Next they see the long sleeve skin tight black shirt and fingerless gloves as well as his signature orange jacket. He also wore his goggles around his neck making his hair appear longer and it flowed around his face slightly. It hung lower and made him look older and more serious to some. Or it could just be the air of tension with two ANBU in the room.

Many girls blushed at the sight of the slightly toned muscles that shone through the tight shirt. Since most of the boys wear such baggy clothes it's a rare sight for them. But what catches everyone's eyes the most are the chains attached to Naruto's wrists, ankles, neck, and all connecting to a plate on his chest with multiple chakra suppression seals on it.

At this realization everyone knew Naruto had done something big. The academy doesn't teach seals because they are considered high level techniques and often dangerous. It does however teach to recognize common ones. Such as exploding note seals, basic seals for items to be stored in scrolls for travel, and the seals on those cuffs used on dangerous nuke-nin.

"Don't you think this is a little excessive ANBU?" asked Iruka with a frown.

"With all due respect Iruka it took nearly twenty Hyuga, eight Chunin, four Jonin and the two of us ANBU to apprehend him!" said the rat masked ANBU.

"WHAT! How could the dobe be that strong! They needed that many high level shinobi to catch him?" was the unbelieving thought of most of the students.

'Showing off his skills, how would he maintain his position for the dead last? But what did he do this time and why the hell didn't he tag me on it. It must be something big or this must, damn you Naruto' Sasuke thought

"If it was not for the Hokage's order to turn him over to you for his exam he would be in a class three holding cell waiting for his sentence," was the calm reply from the bear masked ANBU.

"I understand that but with these chakra cuffs on there is no way for Naruto to take the exam. I would ask you to please remove them and leave him in my care. I will take full responsibility in making sure he appears for his hearing with the Hokage tomorrow," Iruka forcefully suggested with a rather familiar glare to the two ANBU.

"I'm not sure about this, what if he runs again?" Rat asked with uncertainty in his voice. "Unless you already forgot, ANBU, I was the one who finally caught him after you all failed for over three hours" said a smirking Iruka.

After a moment of silence the bear ANBU did a number of hand seals, too fast for anyone of the students to follow, and removed the cuffs. "He's your responsibility now. Don't come crying to us if he gets loose." Bear plainly said.

"Thank you ANBU and don't worry I'll take care of him." Iruka said, placing a hand on Naruto's head.  
>"Oh, by the way kid?" rat inquired.<br>"Hmmm?" was Naruto's rather lethargic reply.

"Nice job on the Hyuga. I don't think even we could of pulled that off!" said the rat ANBU, clearly impressed with the boy. After the rat ANBU said those words the entire class collectively dropped their jaws on the floor and the collective thought in the room was, "NARUTO DID THAT!"

"I've known Hiashi for a long time and I have never seen him that mad, embarrassed, or impressed." Bear murmured in the same voice.

"Impressed?" Naruto asked unsure.

"Yeah kid, when you're at the top like the Hyuga are it takes something big for them to notice anything. This prank of yours really caught his attention," said rat in a sing-song voice.

"By the way how did you do it anyway?" Iruka asked. Now every person in the room was listening intently with their own thoughts on the matter.

"Stupid Naruto you're so immature!" yelled Sakura  
>"<strong>Yah he is Cha!<strong>" yelled Inner Sakura

"Naruto looks kind of hot in his new clothes and longer hair. I wonder what he would look like with highlights." Spoke Ino quietly

"This is too troublesome" spoke Shikamaru  
>"I wonder (munch) if I can use (munch) the same method to sneak into the kitchen? (Munch)" spoke Choji<br>"Stupid Naruto, he's hogging all the attention! I'll get Akamaru to bite him later!" yelled Kiba  
>"Hmm interesting" spoke Shino<p>

'Thank you for not doing that to me Naruto, I would have died of embarrassment. Wait! Naruto was in my room! I'm going to die! Did he find anything? Nothing of mine was missing. Wait a pair of my panties were unfolded! NARUTO WAS TOUCHING MY PANTIES!' The person who thought this blushed dangerously red before passing out with a nose bleed.

'How could he do something like that? The Hyuga were always the Uchiha's rivals why didn't he tag me on it? Maybe I could use the same method for a sneak attack on my brother? Damn you Naruto why didn't you tag me on this one, why?' thought Sasuke

"I don't want to sound arrogant like some teme's," he said, sending a glare at a certain black eyed boy, "but to tell you the truth it really wasn't that hard. When I first decided to do it I was worried, but after a few hours of watching the security it really wasn't anything special." Naruto caught the entire room's attention when he said this. They all were just too shocked to do anything but listen.

**Hokage Office**

In the Hokage tower the third hokage, Hyuga Hiashi, the village elites, and the majority of the council of elders all listened to the whole discussion going on in Iruka's classroom over the third's crystal ball with interest. "Interesting, how is it that this boy was able to sneak into the Hyuga and then call it easy?" asked an intrigued red eyed Jonin.

"Well let's continue listening and we can find our answers." said the Hokage with interest lacing his voice. "It seems your daughter has just fainted Hiashi"

Hiashi sighs, "It would seem so lord Hokage. I need to solve this problem with her soon before the elders patients runs out"

"Lord Hokage do you really think it wise to let the boy go free! And even take the exam!" a random Jonin, with a scar along his jaw, almost screamed.

After a deep sigh, "It was simply a prank. Even though we, as shinobi, see it as more of a threat to village security to him it's just his version of revenge," said the hokage with annoyance.

"See?" said the man franticly, "The fox is after us, and it's starting with the Hyuga to weaken us before it attacks! We must kill it before it's too late! We never should have let it live so long!" said the same scarred Jonin from before.

In an instant the legendary 'Professor' was in front of the man and in an icy voice that sent a shiver down everyone's spine and reminded them just who their Hokage was by the rather noticeable killing intent being emitted. "I have put up with closed minded fools like you on this matter for far too long now, if you are a shinobi who does not possess the skills to see the difference between a hero and a demon then you have no business as a Konoha Nin." The Hokage turned around and headed for his desk. "Leave now and put your forehead protector on my desk on your way out," was the flat command after the killing intent had dispersed.

"Lord Hokage you can't be serious!" said the stuttering Jonin.  
>"Either that or take your time with Morino Ibiki." replied the hokage<p>

"What?" said the Jonin in horror at the idea of being at the mercy of the rumoured sadist the commanded the interrogations and intelligence division.

"You broke the law" replied the hokage

With this simple statement everyone knew what the Hokage meant. He may show leniency to the villagers for their barbs of demon or monster, as long as they don't touch Naruto, but for shinobi he has never been lenient on the subject.

"Please quiet down. I would like to hear how a twelve year old academy student infiltrated my home," was Hiashi's calm request.

"Quite, I actually am very interested as well," Kakashi added while looking over the edge of his ever present book.

As the scarred shinobi left the room, leaving his forehead protector on the table, he scowled while vowing to him, 'I'll get you demon'

**Iruka's classroom**

"Well Naruto, how'd you do it?" Iruka asked a second time.  
>"I'm not sure I want to say," was Naruto's shaky reply.<br>"Why don't you Naruto?" asked Iruka with slight irritation.

"It's one thing that I was able to do it for a prank sensei, but I don't want just anyone to be able to do the same. I mean the Hyuga are a bunch of stuck up teme's but they're still Konoha shinobi." Replied Naruto

"Really now, is that true?" was the simple comment from the bear ANBU.

"Yeah, I mean I was only after their clothes to play a prank but what if a foreign shinobi was sent to kill them? With the knowledge of what I say now they could all be gone by morning, couldn't they?" Naruto said looking down.

**Hokage's office**

"So I guess Naruto wasn't as clueless to what this prank could mean as I thought," stated the Hokage with a slight cough, a little embarrassment in his voice.

"Correct lord Hokage, but it is of utmost importance that I learn how he did it so I can correct my security problem," Hiashi said with the classic Hyuga indifference firmly in place.

"Just give Iruka his time. I'm sure he'll get it out of him. Naruto may be more than he appears but he is still a lonely and hurt twelve year old looking for attention. The chance of getting any kind of positive attention for once will be too tempting for him to resist," One chain smoking Jonin added.

"Do you really think it's that simple?" Hiashi asked with a raised eyebrow as his only expression of curiosity.

"Naruto has always wanted a family or at least a friend but even something as simple as a friend has been denied to him by the villagers. The only thing that seems to keep him going is the hope for the future and his dream. He strives to prove to them that he is something other than what they see. Even though he doesn't know what they see him as. If he ever found out what it is they see when they look at him" the Hokage closed his eyes as if in deep thought.

"What Lord Hokage?" asked the red eyed Jonin with honest concern?  
>"I'm afraid we may lose him" with that said the Hokage returned to staring into the glowing crystal.<p>

**Iruka's classroom**

"Naruto don't you think it's better to let others know of their flaws? That way they can be fixed instead of letting them stay that way. If the Hyuga can be so easily infiltrated it could be a danger to the village." Iruka said with sincerity in his voice.

While this was being asked Hinata was waking from a rather exciting dream of Naruto to hearing the current conversation's direction. 'Naruto you're amazing! I can't believe you were able to do it… or that you were in my room! Doing what I think you were' with that thought the images of Hinata's recent dream passed through her head and almost sent her into blissful unconsciousness again.

"Alright, but if I'm going to go through all this why don't you get one of the head Hyuga here so they can hear it as well. I don't want to repeat this again." was Naruto's defeated reply.

At that moment there was a puff of smoke to signify someone entering and not just any Hyuga had appeared, it was Hiashi himself in all his emotionless glory. "Please, continue, I am most interested in how a lowly academy student was able to enter not only my home but my own bed chamber unnoticed."

'Dad is here! Naruto I hope you will be alright' thought Hinata as she looked on with worry.

"Shit, well I was hoping not to see you until the hearing, and I don't appreciate being called lowly by you." Naruto said with a very foxy grin.

"Why is that Naruto?" asked Hiashi.

"Well first I am the one who got passed those so called 'all seeing eyes' of yours so I doubt that I'm 'lowly'. Also it's normally not a good thing to be in the same room as the man whose boxers you hung from the Hokage tower." said Naruto with the foxy grin still in place. As he said this he pointed out a window and low and behold hanging from the heights of the tower are a string of about fifteen pairs of cream collared boxers, one of which had orange spots on them.

Hiashi's face light up a bright red followed by giggles from the class. He then gave Naruto a glare that made the entire class, especially Hinata cringe. "Please! Tell me Naruto why you found the need to humiliate not only myself but my entire clan!" a hint of anger entering his voice.

"Alright, I guess I could tell you." while Naruto's mouth went on auto pilot, retelling the events of two nights ago outside Ichiraku ramen, his mind was busy sorting through all the information he had on his classmates to make sure it was all right to tell them about his trip into the compound.

'Sasuke, I have not told him so he might be angry but he won't do so, he only want to kill Itachi. Shikamaru, it would be too troublesome for him to do so. Choji, no he can't do anything. Kiba, no he don't have the guts for it. Sakura, she doesn't fit to be a kunoichi. Ino, no her dad won't let her do anything. Rest of them I don't think it would be problem' thought Naruto

"May as well just get this over with" was how Naruto finished his thoughts before catching up with his mouth "Three Hyuga's attacked me with their jutsu and after that strange jutsu was over I was unconscious for about twenty to thirty-five minutes. Once I woke up old man Teuchi and Ayame told me that the other two had thrown me in the dumpster next to the stand before leaving. It took me about another fifteen minutes before I could feel my chakra normally. Then once I could move I headed off to plan my revenge, I mean prank'," Naruto finished his explanation with a little slip of the tongue.

"You recovered from **Eight Trigrams 64 Palms** in only thirty-five minutes!" was the shocked statement from Iruka. As Naruto looked around the room he could see the ANBU had tensed, Hiashi was glaring at him, and Hinata was looking star-struck, all of which made him somewhat curious.

"Is that special or something? I was kind of out of it at the time because of the strike to my head but the jutsu didn't seem that powerful," when Naruto finished he heard a sharp intake of breath from a few select people.

"Naruto that jutsu is one of the five strongest jutsu the Hyuga Clan possesses. While we do possess much stronger ones it normally takes a person at least a week to recover from a direct hit like you received. For you to do it in less than an hour, with no medical attention is impressive." Though he was truly thinking it was impossible, even though he was looking at the proof right in front of him, "You do realize if you had come to me with this I would have dealt with them myself. You didn't have to punish my whole clan for the crimes of three." Hiashi said a little reluctantly.

"What?" asked Naruto, honestly confused about what Hiashi meant?

"It is against clan law to use any of our high level jutsu in such a way. They are only to be used in serious situations and a street brawl is defiantly not a serious situation. After your punishment I would like you to point them out." said Hiashi while glaring. Not only had the offending Hyuga broken clan laws, but they committed assault, possibly treason, and may have broken the Thirds Law as well, their fate would be up to the Hokage if they broke that law.

Naruto looked serious for a second, "Ok, how about we leave it at that and I finish my explanation. It's already a quarter of ten and I still need to take the exam," said Naruto while sweat dropping.

"That's right! I'm sorry Hiashi but I will have to ask you to leave." pleaded Iruka.

"My apologies Iruka, but until I hear the explanation I will not be leaving." stated Hiashi, believing Iruka did not understand the seriousness of the situation.

"You will be attending the hearing to decide Naruto's punishment won't you?" asked Iruka  
>"Of course, how could I not?" replied Hiashi<p>

"Well he will have to explain it again in front of the council anyway so you can hear it tomorrow with the rest. I'm sorry but I really need to start the exam right now." Iruka said forcefully.

After glaring at one another for a moment, Hiashi finally decided to back down for the time being, "Very well Iruka. I will see you in the council meeting tomorrow Naruto." With that Hiashi puffs out of the room. After some murmuring from the students Iruka began the long process of regaining control of his students.

**Hokage's office**

"You disappeared rather quickly Hyuga," Kakashi said in a bored tone.

"Well if the boy was going to need a Hyuga present to tell his story to why not the head of the clan?" said Hiashi with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose but I believe it was a good thing Naruto held off telling everyone. I don't believe this is something an academy class needs to hear. As soon as the hearing takes place and he's made his statement I will classify this as a top secret village security issue." said the Hokage in all seriousness.

"If that is what you think is best Lord Hokage" Hiashi stated in a relaxed tone.

"You are all dismissed for today. The ones who need to be at the hearing know who you are. I expect you there by 10 a.m. Kakashi, don't be late or I will outlaw Jiraiya's smut." Replied the hokage

With that everyone filed out of the Hokage's office leaving the wizened leader to his own thoughts once again, "You're just one surprise after another Naruto. I wonder what headache you will create for me next. Hopefully it will be one that won't require as much paperwork. "DAMN PAPERWORK!" thought the Hokage as he pulled out his own copy of 'Icha-Icha paradise' making sure he was alone.

**Iruka's classroom**

"Alright Naruto, please take your seat so we can start. I will now explain the exam. We're running close on time so please hold any questions until the end of the explanation." After Iruka had said this Mizuki walked through the door with a couple of sacks and a stop watch.

"Iruka what's going on? They haven't even started the written test yet? They should be ready for the practical exams by now!" was Mizuki's clipped reply.

"Well we became a little held up so we're behind by about 30 minutes," Iruka said this sending a glance at Naruto for Mizuki to follow.

After some annoyed glaring at Naruto from Mizuki he said, "Well I suppose that's alright. I'll pass out the test while you explain it to them." Mizuki said while putting down the bags.

"Thanks, this test will come in five parts to determine what you have learned in your time in the academy and make sure you can function properly in the real world. You were not only taught shinobi skills here you were taught the basics of life."

"Correct Iruka-sensei. Even though you will not fail because of low scores in some areas of the exam if you can't perform at least the basics well enough you will definitely fail," was Mizuki's comment as he passed out the tests.

"Correct Mizuki, the test will be given in this order. First will be the written test on information such as geography, history, math, and tactics. Next will be the weapons test of kunai and shuriken. After that will be the obstacle course to test your ability to detect traps and your stealth ability. Next will be the Taijutsu test. Finally, you will be tested on the jutsu taught in the academy. More information will be given before each section begins. Any questions, anyone?" After no one raises their hand Iruka continues on. "Alright, you will have forty-five minutes for this test starting now. Any cheating and you will automatically fail."

**Later outside the academy**

"Damn that was rough; I didn't know I was that bad with things like history. Other than the geography I could barely answer any of the questions on that test" said Naruto to himself looking down.

"It's okay Naruto the written portion isn't really a requirement as long as you don't completely flunk it's alright." Iruka tried to reassure him.

"Thanks sensei but I think I really should have paid more attention. I thought I was better than that."

Mizuki then called out, "Attention everyone! Next will be the weapons test. Each of you will receive eight kunai and shuriken. You will be required to at least hit four vital points with each weapon any less will be a failure. Two will go at a time. First up…"

As the testing went on, with no true order to the names called, students threw their weapons with no one getting higher than a twelve out of a possible sixteen. Then Mizuki called out, "Last two Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki."

Sasuke went up and threw six kunai and then six shuriken, all shuriken hit the bull's-eye and he got the perfect score but only four kunai hit the spot while the remaining two were inches away from the bull's-eye, with this he was now the rookie of the year again. He knew that one of his shuriken was about to hit the tree and not the target then he remember Naruto holding a stone.

'So it was you who helped me in that shuriken, I should have guessed you promised to keep me rookie of the year' thought Sasuke and turned towards the blond and spoke "Good luck" and lipped 'Thanks for help'

Naruto easily understood what he said as he was able to read his lip moment. Naruto knew that he flunked the written test and to pass he has to do average in this, with that he picked up six shuriken and threw them, all shuriken hit the bull's-eye and he got the perfect score. Everybody was shocked to see this and they all thought that how easily he did it.

'Show off' thought Sasuke

"No, Naruto idiot can't beat my Sasuke" yelled Sakura. Every boy sweat dropped at hearing that. While the girls were all screaming the same thing that Sakura screamed.

'Oh Naruto I knew you could do it' thought Hinata

He continued this and picked up 6 kunai and threw them and everybody excluding Sasuke and Hinata burst out laughing, what they expected was that this time also every target will be hit and they all were watching very seriously but something different happen, everybody saw Iruka and Mizuki pinned to the wall with two kunai underneath their arm, tugged through their clothes to the wooden wall, and the remaining two kunai on the bull's-eye.

At this both Iruka and Mizuki shouted "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US NARUTO" and Mizuki thought 'I am going to get you for this demon'

"Oh sorry for that Iruka sensei and Mizuki sensei, you see my hand slipped" with that he turned towards Sasuke who had a smirk on his face and lipped '**Match this Sasuke**'

'Showing off his skills again, but that was quite impressive to hung them both on the wall and to hit two target at the exact same point and then to also hit the bull's-eye, his skills have improved greatly' was the though going to Sasuke's mind

**Hokage Office**

The hokage along with some jonin and some ANBU was watching through the crystal ball of the hokage and some were confused while some had a smirk on their face.

'Showing off his skills again, but that was quite impressive to hung them both on the wall and to hit two target at the exact same point and then to also hit the bull's-eye, his skills have improved greatly' was the though going to hokage's mind at the exact same point as it was going through Sasuke's mind.

"Impressive to hung them both on the wall and to hit two target at the exact same point and then to also hit the bull's-eye, his skills have improved greatly" spoke a spiky haired jonin

"What is so impressive about that Kakashi, he missed the real targets" spoke a red eyed jonin

"Yes indeed he missed the real target but it's because he choose to change his targets. He hit both Iruka and Mizuki on purpose and can you see they both had the kunai tugged on the same spot on both their arms and even the distance is same" explained Kakashi

"Yes Kurenai, Kakashi is right he hit them on purpose, no one knows his real skills leaving me, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto himself. I can only tell that he and Sasuke are both Chunin level ninja right now, they are only playing there, just to live their childhood" spoke the hokage

"But lord hokage, then why Naruto is the dead last of the academy" asked Kurenai

"That's because he chose to, he wants to be on the same team as Sasuke and he knew the rules and regulation of the academy and he also know he basis of team arrangement" replied the hokage

"And you are going to let them be on the same team and do nothing about it" asked Kurenai.

"Other children's parents can influence the team formation but they don't have parents and I being hokage cannot do that for them so in a way to answer your question, yes I am going to do nothing about it and further more Kakashi wants to take both of them on his team and the council will overthrow him if the academy declares something else" explained the hokage Kurenai asked no further questions about that and left with a satisfied look on her face and after her, the hokage office was cleared for tomorrows event.

**The next day – The council chamber**

The hearing for Naruto begins, he explained everything from start to the end and Hiashi dropped the matter stating that the mistake was of his own clan members and he will be taking actions against the. Some more clan heads took Naruto's side overthrowing the rest of the council and with that he was released without any punishment.


	5. Chapter 4 : Academic Field Day

**Chapter 4: Academic Field Day**

**6 months later – Mid-Session of the 4th year of ninja academy**

Over the 6 moths, there was a slight change in Naruto's character, he started reading perverted book's mainly known as Icha-Icha series. Sasuke do not like this but he can't do anything about it but at time he takes his training seriously.

**Flashback**

Naruto was walking towards a book store to get something to read to pass his time and he was having thoughts about Hinata and her panties, he didn't understand a thing about it so he decided to do some research. Inside the book store he checked some books under the adult section using **henge **and found a book called Icha-Icha and began reading it, it was the first book of the series and he kind of liked it.

**End of flashback**

**Ninja Academy**

At the ninja academy, all of the students were of various age groups were gathered together outside in the training yard. Many Chunin teachers, the headmaster, and even the Hokage were there. Today everyone was gathered together outside to demonstrate their newly learned jutsu or fighting styles, be it from the academy or their respective clan.

Many of the would-be Genin's were all talking and conversing with each other about how they intend to prove their strengths to whomever their opponent was. Sasuke was brooding by himself to the side with most of the girls of this age group drooling over him; all but one Hinata Hyuga, whose eyes and heart was drawn to the class clown and village pariah, Naruto Uzumaki. Speaking of Naruto, he was off to the side hiding behind a tree reading a book of some sort, one of a series of books he had to keep from being found. Hinata couldn't help but notice that a blush would frequently appear on Naruto's face with a couple of giggles escaping his mouth when he read those books.

'_I wonder what he could be reading in those books_' Hinata wondered, but never grew the courage to ask him personally, '_it must be an interesting book'_

Hinata wasn't the only eyeing Naruto. At another spot, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, was looking over at Naruto who distanced himself away from the rest of the class. Not for the same reasons as Sasuke, but because he was up to one of his mischievous antics. It was no secret to Hiruzen what Naruto was reading, even though he wondered what triggered Naruto's complete change in character 5 months ago.

"Attention everyone," Iruka said, grabbing everyone's attention, "Please assemble with your class as we're about to commence today's event, the Academy Field Day."

Despite being engrossed in his book, Naruto closed and put his book away before making his way back to his class. As he did so, Sakura and Ino, along with some of the other girls, were competing over who was going to stand next to Sasuke, much to the other boys and teachers' annoyance.

"All of you please knock it off and give the headmaster and Hokage a professional impression of yourselves," Iruka berated, "You all are future ninjas of this village so please play the part professionally!"

That got them to quiet down a pay attention up front. "You certainly have a way with words Iruka," Hiruzen remarked with a chuckle. Iruka scratched the back of his head with a small grin.

"Nah," Iruka replied, "I'm just trying to help them become the best ninjas our village can produce."

"Such modesty," the headmaster commented as he made his way over to Iruka and Hiruzen. The headmaster himself was a B-A Class Jonin ninja.

"I'm honoured that you chose to be present for today's event despite your very busy schedule lord hokage," the headmaster said.

"Well," Hiruzen said, "Even I need a break from all of my work. Besides I personally wanted to see the progress everyone has made so far while attending the academy."

"I made lots and lots of progress old man," Naruto yelled enthusiastically, "Just you wait. After today, you'll be begging to pass down that Hokage hat and robe to me as your successor! Believe it!"

"Knock it off Naruto," Sakura yelled, "This is not a time for one of your jokes! If anything, Sasuke has a better chance at the title Hokage than you do! Isn't that right Sasuke?"

"Shut up Sakura you are annoying and it is Naruto's dream to become hokage and I am sure he will become one" Sasuke grunted with his hands in his pants' pocket.

"Well Naruto," Hiruzen smiled, "I'm sure with Iruka's helping you've made some improvements. So please do your best. And that goes for all of you here."

All of the students nodded their heads. The headmaster stepped forward to address the students. "The purpose of the Academy Field Day is to gauge the progress not only you as future ninjas have made but all to access where your strongest and weakest points are and how we can work on strengthening where your weaknesses are."

"Those with weaknesses aren't fit to be ninjas," Sasuke remarked, "They'll just get killed in a real battle"

"Sakura," Naruto remarked, "What was that comment about Sasuke making Hokage before I do? Because I doubt that old man would name someone as cold and arrogant as him as his successor."

"Don't talk about Sasuke like that," another girl said before Sakura could give a retort to Naruto.

"But that's quite right actually, those who are weak will just get killed in the field" replied Naruto earning a nod from everyone

"Everyone stop this petty argument and stay focus on the purpose of today's activities," the headmaster stated firmly. He waited until he had everyone's attention.

"Good," the headmaster said, "Now, we'll start with taijutsu. You'll all be given a spar partner and demonstrate your taijutsu skills. No weapons, ninjutsu, or genjutsu will be allowed during your taijutsu match. Disobedience to this rule will result in immediate disciplinary actions. After your taijutsu will be will be your match in the use of weapons. Seriously injuring anyone is not permitted. Third will be your ninjutsu match. Is there any questions?"

"Is all this troublesome fights between classmates really necessary," Shikamaru asked in a bored voice.

"At least show some enthusiasm in performing in front of your Hokage, Shikamaru," Mizuki said. Shikamaru simply shrugged. Next to him Choji was eating a bag of potato chips.

"Now we'll divide and pair each of you with your sparring opponents," Iruka said, "First match, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Okay" Sasuke said.

"Alright," Naruto cheered excitedly, "I'm first to show old man how far I came in my training!"

"The only thing you'll show is how far your training will crash you down to the ground on your face Naruto," Kiba mocked causing everyone to start laughing at Naruto.

"Shut up," Naruto retorted, "At least I know when to take showers so as to not smell like the pets you sleep with!" Now everyone was laughing at Kiba, who was now fuming at Naruto. "Why you-"

"Kiba that's enough," Iruka yelled, "The same goes for you too, Naruto! Now Sasuke, Naruto, step forward and give each other the tradition shinobi greeting, a sign to show good sportsmanship and no hostility."

Naruto and Sasuke both made their way to the front where the match was to be held. Naruto made the hand sign of friendship and Sasuke shook his hand and then took their position.

"Show the dead last a thing or two Sasuke," Ino yelled.

"Don't take that crap from him Sasuke," Sakura yelled. Many of the other girls and even some of the boys were cheering Sasuke on to pummel Naruto. Hinata was the only one in the background cheering Naruto on, though not as audibly as everyone else who was cheering for Sasuke.

Naruto turned and looked at Sasuke's fan club with disgust and irritation. Hiruzen sighed to himself seeing such displays before him. He knew that if both the boys show their original strength, the fight would be interesting to watch but he knew that it wasn't going to happen. He knew that Naruto will show some of his skill's but in the end he would lose to Sasuke. It was all going according to Naruto's plan.

"Sasuke, Naruto," Iruka said, "Be professional about this before your Hokage! Now prepare to spar!"

Sasuke said nothing at he assumed his battle stance. Naruto stood there as though he knew of no stance to take. Everyone in the crowd expected to see a quick match, with Naruto as the obvious loser.

"Ready" Iruka said, "Begin!"

As expected, Naruto charged head first to Sasuke at a fast speed. He threw a quick right punch at Sasuke, which was easily avoided, as Sasuke side stepped Naruto to the left.

"Predictable," Sasuke mocked as the manoeuvre caused Naruto to seemingly trip forward, making him appear like he was about to fall to the ground. Things changed however as Naruto turned on his right foot and swiftly brought and swung his left foot up, effectively catching Sasuke's face in his range as he, Sasuke, passed him by. Sasuke was sent spinning and sailing to the ground with a facial bruise and busted lip as Naruto managed to regain his balance keep from falling to the ground. Everyone was left stunned and utterly speechless after seeing how Naruto within mere seconds made a fool out of the now dazed and humbled Sasuke who was struggling to get back up while nursing the injury Naruto just inflicted on him.

"Did that just happened," Shikamaru asked, too shocked to believe what he and everyone else saw.  
>"That's what I'm trying to believe," Choji remarked.<p>

"He caught Sasuke completely off guard," Shino commented, "An outcome I was not expecting at the very least."

"It was a lucky shot," Ino replied in denial, "There's no way Naruto could have hit Sasuke that easily! It was just a case of extreme dumb luck!"

Regardless of what was being said, Hinata looked very happy and pleased that Naruto won the first match against Sasuke, though she never expected it to end so soon in Naruto's favour.

"First blood and round one goes to me Sasuke," Naruto said with a large grin, "Ready for Round Two?" Naruto then give a look to Sasuke sating '_**Why didn't you did something, it was not that difficult**_'

Sasuke got back up and spat blood to the floor and give him look which stated '_**You caught me off guard, what the hell was I supposed to do**_' the pain from the assault was still biting where he was struck with blood still trickling down from his busted lip. "You're going to regret that" Sasuke replied in exiting voice as the got back in his fighting stance.

"Ready when you are," Naruto said. Iruka began the next match between the two boys. Naruto and Sasuke engaged in combat again, but after three minutes it ended with Naruto being flipped and tossed down to the ground on his back with Sasuke standing over him. All of the girls, but Hinata cheered for Sasuke, while the guys laughed at Naruto.

"I told you it was dumb luck that Naruto won that time," Ino said.  
>"There's no way Naruto would have beaten Sasuke that easily," another girl said.<p>

"But…Naruto didn't take…as long to win the first match with a single blow," Hinata thought out loud, which caught all of the students attention, including Sasuke's.

"That much is true Hinata," Hiruzen spoke up, earing the attention of those hearing him, "During the first match, Naruto gave the deceptive display that he was attacking full hearty in recklessness. But from what we saw, Naruto's moves were clearly timed and calculated to the letter, totally catching Sasuke off guard. I'm led to believe that Naruto had it all planned out."

Hearing that acknowledgment made Naruto spirit soar the skies; Hokage and Hinata both were giving him positive attention. "But Sasuke came back and gave Naruto a good bout," Hokage added, "In the past surely Naruto would have lost easily to Sasuke. But from what I'm seeing Naruto has truly came a long way and improved if Sasuke is being made to take Naruto serious."

Everyone knew that Hiruzen wasn't saying those things just to stroke Naruto's ego or to make the blonde look good in front of everyone. Hokage was telling the truth. Turning to Naruto, Hiruzen said seriously, "But don't in any way let what I said go to your head Naruto."

"Of course I won't old man," Naruto said as he stood back up, "I'm just happy that you're proud of my improvements."

Sasuke knew everything and he was smirking inwards that they are that great that they can fool everyone. '_We are holding back everything and then they are amazed to watch our match, if we fight with our full strength, the whole village would be shocked, I doubt even some Chunin would be able to fight us_' thought Sasuke

"OK everyone," the headmaster said, "We'll next move on to our next two opponents." The sparing sessions continued until all of students had their turns. Some of the matches ended in a draw while others either won or forfeited after being overpowered or outmatched.

"Good job everyone," Iruka said, "Next up, weaponry. Each of you may select a weapon of choice, whether it's a kunai or shuriken."

The students were led to the tables that held the mentioned weapons. After selecting their weapons of choice, the students were told that they would be taking turning attacking the human shaped wooden dummy posts. Some were able to hit bull's eyes while Sasuke, managed to hit all directed areas on target dummy. Naruto came up next and with his first kunai, he aimed and threw it at the practice dummy, only for the kunai to be deeply imbedded into the dummy's crotch. The males that saw this couldn't help but mentally put their hands over their crotch, some literally.

"You missed the objective area to strike Naruto," Iruka said while hiding the cringe that wanted to appear on his face.

"I know," Naruto replied, "But at the very least I castrated him in the worst way. If that dummy was real, he'd die horribly and painfully."

Iruka and the others couldn't argue against that though none of them would want to die such an agonizing death. "Next time aim for the heart or skull," Iruka said, "It might help if you visualize an enemy in place of that dummy post."

"That was why I aimed between the legs in the first place," Naruto remarked. Iruka blinked and looked at Naruto again.

'_What kind of enemy did he visualize?_' Iruka wondered.

'_Showing off again, I should have guessed he would hit that when he is reading all that the entire time, but it would be quite effective. It's good he don't do that to me in the practice, I would hate to be in that place_' thought Sasuke

**Later That Day**

After the students were allowed to take a break and go for lunch, they returned back to the training yard. "All right everyone," Iruka said, "We're now at the third and final part of today's event. Each of you will demonstrate one of your most effective or strongest ninjutsu. They can be those learned from the academy or from your respective clans. Keep in mind that this third event is not to be used as an opportunity to show anyone off. If your ninjutsu requires a target, one of our instructors will volunteer to be used. However no fatal jutsu's are to be used on anyone, am I clear?" All of the students nodded.

"Nara Shikamaru," Iruka called out, "Please step forward and demonstrate a ninjutsu." Shikamaru shrugged with a bored expression and performed a **henge**, changing himself into the Hokage.

"I find today's events to be troublesome and a bother for all of us here," Shikamaru said imitating Hiruzen's voice, "I decree that you all can leave and go cloud-watching for all I care."

Naruto and the others started laughing and cracking up at Shikamaru's antics. Iruka was all but amused though Hiruzen took it in good humour as a chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Alright Shikamaru," Iruka said, "You did good." Shikamaru dropped the henge and walked back to Choji. "Nice one Shikamaru," Choji said.

"I'd have done the same but you beat me to the punch," Naruto added.

"I was just expressing how I feel at this point," Shikamaru replied. Most of the students performed one of the jutsu's they learned at the academy. For Sakura, she performed **clone jutsu**, and Ino performed one of her clan's jutsu's and took control of one of the adults' bodies for a few seconds before returning back to her own body. After several students went, Sasuke went and took his turn.

"Alright Sasuke," Iruka instructed, "Please perform a ninjutsu of your choosing."

Sasuke simply nodded without saying a word. Going over to one of the wooden target poles, Sasuke performed a few hand signs and fired a fireball from his mouth straight into the wooden pole, effectively setting it on fire. All of the girls cheered while Hinata though not among the cheering girls admitted that it was an impressive jutsu. The other boys were also impressed while Naruto just looked bored.

"Very good as always Sasuke," Iruka said, "Well done."

"That was nothing," Naruto stated, "I created a powerful jutsu that will effectively take all of you out with a single blow, leaving all of you in heaps of your own blood!"

"You're all talk Naruto," one of the students remarked, "Quit wasting our time with your garbage!"  
>"Don't believe me," Naruto shot back, "Fine! Let me go next and I'll demonstrate my new creation!"<br>"Fine," Iruka said with annoyance, "Just get on with it."

Naruto hurried and stepped forward. "All of you ninjas watch closely and including you old man," Naruto said with a mischievous smile. From the smile alone, Hiruzen knew that Naruto was up something, and by something, he knew it was going to be a stunt he was going to regret allowing to take place. Hinata was curious as to what jutsu it was that was as lethal as Naruto declared that he created by him.

"I bet Naruto screws up in just the attempt," Kiba joked, "We all know he sucks at even creating a perfect clone and doing a henge the right way." The students started laughing while Naruto ignored them.

"Alright now," Naruto said, "Prepared to be taken out!" He said with a wide smirk.

Sasuke immediately guessed what he was about to do and though '_Oh no not that again_' but before he could thought a single word, he saw Naruto gathering the required chakra, Naruto clasped his hands together and made a hand sign before bursting into a cloud of smoke. He prepared himself for the impact, as the smoke cleared "Ah, excuse me," said a new, very sweet and shy-like feminine voice in the clearing smoke. When the smoke cleared, it revealed an extremely beautiful long haired blond young woman with large breasts completely soaked with water with the remaining smoke covering only parts of her breasts and genitals. The nude 'female' asked shyly and nervously, "I lost my clothes and I'm cold from the pouring rain. Would one of you men, please be so kind as to use your body to keep me warm?"

The result was instantaneous and extremely effective. Males of various ages and ranks were blown back and off their feet from nasal blood loss, and the Hokage himself was no exception. True to his words, many of the ninjas were knocked out with blood coming out of their noses. Naruto dispelled the jutsu seeing that it accomplished its designed purpose.

"**Sexy jutsu**" Naruto laughed, "I warned you that my new jutsu is dangerous! I can effortlessly kill all of you right now in the comatose state I put all of you in!"

The girls weren't amused at all by the stunt Naruto pulled just a moment ago. But they were even angrier at how Naruto proved his point as he pulled out his kunai and acted as though he was slitting the throats of all of the knocked out males as he hurriedly passed them by, though he only gave each of them a small cut on their neck. Though Hinata was impressed that Naruto was able to knock out all of the ninjas around him however, she too frowned at the method in which he did so. The girls were expecting the older kunoichi's to lash out against Naruto for what he did, but were surprised that they didn't do anything to reprimand him.

"Aren't any of you kunoichi's going to punish him," Ino screeched, "That perverted stunt he pulled-"  
>"Was very effective," one of the kunoichi interjected, "It even knocked out the Hokage."<br>"Never knew the old man of his stature is as big a pervert as all the other men in Konoha," remarked another kunoichi.

"Girlfriend where have you been," whispered another kunoichi, "There was a rumour years ago that he used to peek in the women's bathhouse with his pupil lord Jiraiya of the sannin."

"How come none of you are angry at Naruto," Sakura asked indignantly, "He made us girls look bad!"

"Exactly how ignorant and naïve are you really about the world of ninja," asked another kunoichi, "I don't know what Iruka is teaching you girls, but the real life of the ninja isn't fun and games. Cunning, planning, and deception are among the many tools ninjas must have in their arsenals and sometimes we must use unfavourable methods to achieve and complete our assigned missions. And there are occasions when seduction and sexual incentives are among the tools that we ninjas have to use also at our advantage.

"Naruto clearly demonstrated his understanding of what I'm saying when he got the males and even the Hokage to drop their guards against him. I know he's the least favoured boy in this village but today's event shows that he holds promises."

"I'm more disturbed by the fact that Naruto can play the role of a slut so convincingly that all the guys can fall for him," Sakura remarked.

"Would that happen to include Sasuke seeing that even he was caught off guard by Naruto's jutsu," the same kunoichi asked pointing to Sasuke. Sakura and the girls turned and saw what the kunoichi was talking about.

"Looks like Naruto knows more about what kind of girl appeals to Sasuke than any of you girls do," the kunoichi joked as the other kunoichi's laughed at the younger girls' expense seeing that all of them continuously failed to get Sasuke to notice them. The girls, minus Hinata, didn't take too kindly to the implications of the kunoichi's words as they wondered what about themselves they were lacking in, in terms of feminine appeal. After another minute, the males gradually woke from their induced slumber. When they all did, they found that the females gave them all dirty looks.

"You're all dead and disgraced!" Ino barked.

"I can't believe all of you fell for Naruto's perverted jutsu!" Sakura added indignantly.

"Hey," Naruto replied with a large grin, "It got the job done! So what do you think old man? Ready to hand over that Hokage hat to me seeing that I took you and all of the male ninjas out with a single blow? If all of you take a moment to feel the cuts I put on your necks, it shows that if I were serious, you all be dead now!"

Hiruzen felt his pride deeply wounded from Naruto's latest stunt and remark. He knew that he and along with all the others was going to be the laughing stock of the entire village for who knew how long. Looking for a way to save face, Hiruzen said, "There's a lot more to being Hokage than just performing the strongest or the most effective jutsu's to take out your enemies Naruto. And it's not about getting your way all the time just because you possess governing power. As the Hokage, I serve the village, not the other way around."

"What do you mean," Naruto asked curiously.

"As the Hokage," Hiruzen elaborated, "You must love, nurture, and protect the village and everyone living in it, young and old. And most importantly, you must be ready to lay down your life for the village at a moment's notice."

"But isn't that what all of us ninjas are supposed to do in the first place old man," Naruto asked.

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes Naruto that much is true. But as the Hokage, I have to take on weighty responsibilities that affect the lives of everyone living in the village. The ninjas and civilians of the village rely on the Hokage not only for leadership but guidance in preserving the morale and stability of our society while developing future adults like yourselves who will be the next generation to step up in preserving and protecting Konoha and the foundation it was built on."

Naruto took a moment to take in everything Hiruzen was telling him. Though the others were listening also, Naruto felt that Hokage was talking more to him than the others.

"If I learned to do all that," Naruto asked, "Would you stepped down as Hokage and let me take your place as your successor?"

"Only time will tell Naruto," Hiruzen said with a smile, "But you still have a long way to go in your maturity and development."

"Just you wait," Naruto grinned, "I'll prove to be the best choice as the future Hokage!"

"We'll see," Hiruzen said as he turned to everyone else, "Everyone here did well today, and I'm happy to see all of the excellent progress you all have made. I hope all of you continue in your advancements and become the new leaves that will blossom and radiantly flare with the will of fire of our village."

After the Hokage's concluding words, Iruka directed the students back into the building. As the Hokage was watching the youths go back into the building, he noticed how the kunoichi's were whispering and snickering about how he managed to narrowly escape looking bad in front of the young female students after the stunt Naruto pulled.

"It'll be a while before I hear the end of this," Hiruzen sighed with dismay.

**Later That Day**

Everyone was going home for the day about their day at the academy was over. None of the girls really said anything about what Naruto did and how even Sasuke had succumbed to Naruto's trap. The guys grumbled at how Naruto made them look bad while Shikamaru really didn't care more or less.

"Sasuke," a feminine voice called out him. Sasuke turned to see Sakura approaching him.  
>"What do you want," Sasuke asked.<br>Catching up to him, Sakura said, "Don't feel bad about what Naruto did. You still did very good out there."  
>"I don't need your concern," Sasuke said emotionlessly, "I'm fine."<p>

"That's good to hear," Sakura said, "I'm happy to see that Naruto's childish prank for a jutsu didn't get your spirits down."

"I lost to Naruto twice today," Sasuke said, "And the second time he showed that he had the chance not only to kill me but all of the other ninjas there! I see nothing childish about that!" Sakura flinched at Sasuke's words, indeed he was correct. "Leave me alone Sakura," Sasuke said coldly as he walked off, "I have much to think about." Sakura watched at Sasuke left without so much as giving her a glance.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto called out as he ran over to the pink-haired girl, "You busy? I was hoping that-"

Naruto was cut off when Sakura turned and tried punch him in the head. Naruto ducked at the last second and back away from her.

"Hey," Naruto asked defensively, "What did I do?"

"What did you do?" Sakura barked, "You made Sasuke look bad and messed up my chance to really to talk to him!"

"I don't see how that's my fault," Naruto replied, "Sasuke's failures is his own fault. You can't blame me that I managed to draw blood from him twice. And I wasn't going to let him look good while everyone else was expecting me to look stupid and be laughed at."

"Whatever," Sakura retorted, "Still, you have a long way to go before you can begin dreaming of measuring up to Sasuke!"

"I don't see what's there to measure up to after seeing how low Sasuke fell for me as the hot "girl" I turned into," Naruto mocked, "Maybe he's also seething at the very fact that I'm not actually that "girl" he passed out for. But on the plus side of things, I personally confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sasuke isn't gay. To be honest, I was starting to wonder seeing that he has never given any of you girls so much as a look."

Sakura felt her feminine pride deeply wounded from Naruto's stinging comments. It wasn't long before Naruto felt bloodlust building up within Sakura.

"NARUTO" Sakura roared as she chased after Naruto who was now on the run from a raging Sakura, "YOU'RE DEAD!" Once outside, Naruto turned to the left and ran around the corner with Sakura in hot pursuit. "Get back here Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she continued running after him and out of the academy grounds

Going back to the academy's training ground after evading Sakura, Naruto returned back to the human-shaped wooden post he embedded the kunai in. After seeing that no one was around, Naruto, summoning chakra and the required strength and speed, performed a swing kick at the post, effectively breaking the post in half with splinter shards flying all over the place with the main chunk of the post flying far from where it originally was until it hit the ground.

"Ah," Naruto relaxed with large smile on his face, "That got the pent up anger out of my system; now for some well-deserved ramen!"

Naruto hurried out of the training ground and over to Ichiraku. While on the way, he pulled out his orange book and resumed where he left off at. A blush and perverted giggle escaped his mouth while reading his book and making his way to his next destination.

Unknown to Naruto was that a female figure was watching him from the shadows behind the trees the entire time and was shocked by the display of power and strength Naruto demonstrated, including when he eluded and tricked Sakura.

'_Naruto_' Hinata wondered to herself, '_You're stronger and smarter than you let on. Why do you hide your real self from everyone? Could I ever be as strong as you?_' Hinata wondered this as she watched Naruto happily make his out to his next destination.


	6. Chapter 5 : Graduation Day

**Chapter 5: Graduation Day**

**6 months later – End of the 4th year of ninja academy**

Over the six months, Naruto and Sasuke both increased in their skill at a great level. Naruto was still not able to do clone jutsu but when he talked to the hokage, he said he has too much chakra and less control, he advised him to do chakra control. Naruto was still pissed at the fact that he had to do more chakra control exercise. Naruto had completed advanced fuinjutsu and now he was headed to master that skill.

Naruto and Sasuke were able to get more jutsu by watching several jonin and Chunin training in training field. With their sharingan active, they were able to copy many new jutsu and taijutsu styles. One of the jutsu was **shunshin** or body flicker jutsu, and Naruto mastered it to that extent that he was able to create an elemental version of it from both fire and wind chakra and do it without hand seals. He also taught Sasuke the fire shunshin and Sasuke get the jutsu way fast than he did, later on they found out that it belongs to Shisui Uchiha who created it in the first place to be able to use by a sharingan wielder, then Naruto noticed that he was practicing it without his sharingan.

Naruto also created his own fighting style that uses his wind manipulation to sense the molecules of air around him. With that he can fight without his eyes, he created it so that he did not become dependent on his eyes only.

"It'd definitely be a nice break since Iruka-sensei's really been on our cases about studying and stuff," Naruto half complained, making Sasuke look over at him incredulously.

"Don't you know why he's pushing you so hard recently?" Naruto just shrugged.

"I don't know. I figured it had to do with the prank I pulled recently" He grinned at remembering himself using the **sexy jutsu** transformation technique on the hokage while Iruka was there to hand in some academy reports. Man, the looks on their faces were priceless! Naruto couldn't believe how much blood spurted from their noses before they passed out.

"Naruto, the graduation exams are in two days."

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted as he sat up abruptly. "Oh crap! And this is the time I'm actually trying to graduate! I haven't even started preparing yet!" Sasuke sat up as well, giving his older brother a strange look.

"What do you need to prepare for? You already know all the material that'll be covered. It'll be cakewalk for you to 'barely' pass." Naruto shook his head vigorously, his brows furrowing as he crossed his legs, settling into a 'thinking pose.'

"Not that! I have to make preparations for my big graduation prank! After we become official Konoha genin, I'll have less time to pull pranks on the unsuspecting populace so I have to do something that the village won't forget anytime soon!" Sasuke audibly smacked his forehead with his palm, groaning as he ran his hand down his face and shaking his head in exasperation.

"Only you" Naruto grinned.

"You better believe it! There's only one Naruto Uzumaki after all!" He stated proudly, pointing a thumb at his chest.

**Streets of konoha, 1 day before the graduation exam**

"GET BACK HERE NARUTO!" shouted a few Chunin Konoha Nin as they chased the 12 year-old blond through the village.

"HEHE YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!" Naruto shouted back. Armed with a paint-brush and a large pail of paint, He defaced the large faces of the Hokage. One of his greatest pranks he has pulled in a while. Turning a corner, he pulled up a sheet painted to look like the fence he stood there and waited as the running footsteps neared and then faded away. He sighed as he pulled down the sheet reviling his unusually large grin. Scratching his right whisker-marks he watched the retreating backs of his pursuers. "Heh, they'll never catch the master prankster, Naruto Uzumaki!" He exclaimed turning around only to come face to face with the angry expression of none other than, Iruka Umino.

'Uh-oh' "Iruka-sensei" Naruto yelped gaining a frightened expression.

Iruka gained a tick on his forehead "Naruto, Why did you skip class?" he asked staring at him. Naruto glanced at the Hokage faces and then tried to hide the pail and paint-brush he was holding. "Don't even try to hide them" he said in a scolding tone.

Naruto scowled and dropped them. "Geez, can no one take a joke around here?" He said shaking his head. As he suddenly felt ropes tie around him binding his arms. "Hey, what's this about?" he shouted trying to wiggle out of the bindings.

"I'm taking you back to the academy. And the bindings just to make sure you don't escape again," Iruka answered as picked grabbed a length of rope like a leash and lead Naruto back to the academy.

**At the academy**

"Oof!" Naruto grunted as he was seated on the floor in front of the class. 'Damn Iruka-sensei, why do I have to sit here,' he thought looking at the students sitting around just staring at him. He could easily pick out the few friends he had made over the last six years.

Naruto sat there when his eyes landed on Sasuke he immediately saw the smirk on his face. He shot him a look stating '**Sorry**'. Grumbling, he looked back at Iruka who seemed to be contemplating something, his punishment for skipping the class. He sat there and waited till Iruka finally spoke.

"Tomorrows the graduation test. Now's not the time to be goofing off like this!" He scolded Naruto who just looked away and scowled.

"Whatever" He mumbled and since he was looking away he didn't notice the look of anger on his sensei's face.  
>"Time for a <strong>henge<strong> tests every one line up" He called out  
>"WHAT?" The class called out, clearly annoyed that Naruto decided to skip again.<p>

"Transform Perfectly Into me" He said as his face now held a look of annoyance instead of one of anger. Grumbling about how this is all Naruto's fault they lined up. A few students later it was Sasuke's turn.

"Next, Sasuke Uchiha" Iruka called

Sasuke came and form a ram seal chakra began to swirl around him and yelled "Henge". When the smoke cleared there was an exact copy of Iruka standing in front of him but he failed to notice the smirk on his face. When he nodded and was about to call out the final name, something unexpected happened. 'Iruka' was standing and his pants fell on the ground revealing his underwear with heart all around it. 'Iruka' pulled up his pant and dropped the henge and then went ahead laughing, he gave Naruto stating '**Match that**', at this Naruto gave stared at him stating '**Wait and see me, maybe you'll get to learn something**'

He was thinking about the henge, then it hit him 'When did he learn a solid henge, well he might picked a few things from Naruto here and there' "Next, Naruto Uzumaki" Iruka called.

"This is all your fault" One of the students behind him said.

"Like I give a damn" He replied forming a ram seal chakra began to swirl around Naruto. "**Henge**" He called out as the smoke that engulfed him started to fade away reviling a blond beauty in his place with smoke still covering his assets. Iruka was sent flying back via nose-blood rockets.

"WAHAHAHA, you fell for that again, I call that one my **Sexy jutsu**" he said with a big grin on his face as he dropped it. However, Iruka didn't seem to think it was all that amusing.

"YOU MORON I TOLD YOU NOT TO PERFORM THAT AGAIN" He Screamed at Naruto using the 'Big head jutsu'

'No matter what I do, I cannot match him in this, he is the number 1 prankster after all' thought Sasuke

**Later that day**

Naruto was grumbling as he scrubbed the paint from the Hokage faces. "I won't let you go till every thing's back to normal" He heard Iruka call from the Hokage's head that he was cleaning.

"So what? It's not like there's anyone at home waiting for me" He replied scrubbing a bit harder than necessary indicating that he was a little angry. 'We did it together and you are off the hook, I will get you for this Sasuke'

"Naruto" he looked up to see what his sensei had to say "Once you're finished I'll take you out for ramen, my treat"

Naruto's eyes turned to stars. "Yosh, I'll get finished as fast as I can" And with that he started to scrub faster and more efficient than before.

**At Ichiraku's**

Naruto was packing away the ramen like it was going out of style, which of course to him wouldn't matter because he'd probably eat it anyway.

"Naruto" He turned mid-slurp to Iruka  
>"Hm" Was his brilliant reply<p>

"Out of curiosity, why did you do that to the Hokage faces? Don't you know who the Hokage are?" He asked taking his chopsticks and a bit of his own ramen

"Of, Course I know. The Hokage are the highest ranked shinobi in the village, ne?" Naruto said as he began inhaling the ramen again.

"Then why?" Iruka asked staring down at the blond who was finishing a bite before answering.

"'Cause one day I'll claim the title of Hokage" He said. He suddenly held out his chopsticks and pointed them at Iruka. "AND I'LL SURPASS ALL OF THEM!" He shouted with a huge grin plastered on his face.

After a few moments of silence Naruto suddenly turned and suddenly asked "Iruka sensei, I have a request"  
>"You want another bowl?" He asked looking at the blond who just shook his head<p>

"No. I was gonna ask if I could borrow your forehead protector?" He said with a pleading tone of voice.

Iruka's hand reached up and grabbed the forehead protector "This? No, this is what you get when you graduate the academy"

Naruto instantly face-faulted and shouted out, "BUMMER! Well whatever 'cause I'm definitely going to pass tomorrow"

"We'll see" Iruka said finishing his bowl.  
>Before he could say something, Naruto shouted "Then I want another bowl"<p>

**The next morning**

Naruto sat on the bench with his head on the desk. He was tired 'cause he stayed up late practicing academy jutsu. The only one he had trouble on was the **Clone jutsu**. Every time he made a clone it came out all deformed and dead looking. The hokage had said it had something to do with his reserves being too high.

Naruto practiced well into the night on that specific jutsu and the only thing he improved on was he managed to make a twin for his dead clone. "Hey, Naruto" Naruto lifted his head and saw Sasuke taking a seat on the bench beside him, he waved a greeting. So far they and a few other students were the only ones there.

"Where were you yesterday?" he asked him as he put his head back down.

"Did you see the person cleaning the Hokage faces?" Sasuke Nodded "That was me" He said tiredly. He continued "Paying alone for what we did together"

"Sorry" he asked staring at his tired blue eyes.

About a half-hour later the rest of the class piled in along with Iruka. Naruto and Sasuke went back to ignoring each-other as usual while in class. "Alright class today is the graduation exam" Iruka called out as he looked around at all the students as he spoke. His eyes landed on Naruto as he said. "All you have to do is make 2 identical clones of yourself using the **clone jutsu**. Come to the next room when you're called" He said as he took Choji Akimichi into the room with him. Over the next half-hour Naruto was sweating like a pig. He knew it was gonna be the clone jutsu, he just knew it. Groaning he heard Sasuke gets called.

"Good luck" He whispered to him as he stood up. He nodded as his response and left to the next room.  
>When he reappeared he was wearing a leaf forehead protector. "Congratz" Naruto said as Sasuke took his seat beside him.<p>

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Mizuki, a Chunin academy instructor, called out. Naruto paled and got up. 'Come on Naruto you can do it' he tried to encourage himself as he walked into the room.

"Okay Naruto make two clones" Iruka said looking at his clip-board.

Naruto nodded and made a Ram seal and started to concentrate as little chakra as possible. "Clone jutsu" He called out and with a puff of smoke two clones appeared but the thing was they were the exact same as all of them. The only improvement was they got some skin pigmentation back.

Sweat dropping, Naruto turned to Iruka who had used his big-head jutsu to yell out, "YOU FAIL!" Naruto flew back, startled, and stared at Iruka.

"Iruka" Iruka turned to look at Mizuki. "We could let him pass. I mean, he did create the required number of clones"

"No way Mizuki, I mean sure he created two clones but look at them" Naruto sweat dropped "They look dead and they're totally useless. I can't let him pass"

Naruto turned and walked out of the room gritting his teeth. But instead of walking to the classroom he went straight out to his favorite spot, the swing out in the front of the academy. After about a half-hour of sitting there the graduates came out to see their parents while Naruto sat on the swing watching. He saw some people looking at him and whispering things to each other.

"Hey that kid" the one on the right side whispered.  
>"Yea that's the kid. He's also the only one to fail" The one on the left whispered back<br>"Well that's a good thing. He shouldn't become a shinobi" the first one whispered. "Since he is-"  
>"SHH we're not supposed to talk about it" The second one scolded.<p>

Gritting his teeth, Naruto put his goggles back on and left the school yard. Walking down a road a few blocks away from the academy he heard a few footsteps behind him.

"Naruto" came the voice of said person.  
>"Mizuki-sensei" He said recognizing the voice he turned around to look at him.<br>"Come for a walk with me" He said as he turned and walked off.

**A few minutes later on a near-by roof**

Naruto sat on the edge dangling his feet off the edge. While Mizuki stood and looked over the village, thinking about something. He suddenly began to speak.

"Iruka-sensei is a very serious person" He said as he turned to look at Naruto. "His parents died when he was young and since then he had to take care of himself"

Naruto nodded. "But why does he pick on me?"  
>"You probably remind him of himself" He answered.<p>

"Oh. But I wish I graduated" He mumbled to himself as he swung his feet back and forth. Mizuki looked thoughtful for a second before he spoke.

"In that case, I have a special secret" He said looking at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. Naruto got excited and began bouncing in his seat.

"What is it?" He asked looking at Mizuki with hope filled eyes.  
>"It's a special way to graduate" And with that Mizuki explained to Naruto what he had to do.<p>

**A few hours later – Hokage Office**

Naruto snuck into the Hokage tower and was currently tiptoeing to the secret scroll room, when suddenly. "Naruto, what are you doing here this late?" He heard the thirds voice from behind him.

"Old man, I wanted to talk to you and this is a bit private. You see I failed because I was not able to the clone jutsu. But I am not asking you to pass me or do any favor" at this the hokage shot him an eyebrow, he quickly understand that he wanted and explanation, so he continued "After I failed, Mizuki sensei came to me and told me that there is another way to pass the exam, all I have to do is to stuck here and steal the forbidden scroll of sealing and hand it to him" Naruto stated

"So Mizuki is trying to betray the village, you have done an excellent job of coming here and speaking to me now what should we do?" the hokage asked no one in particular

"Well we can do one thing" the hokage gave him a look of explanation, so he continued "You can't teach me anything directly but you can give me hints, what if I stole the scroll, learn a thing or two and lure and capture Mizuki and bring him here for his punishment. That way I can get to learn something and nothing will go wrong and then later on in a day or two you can object with council that I was under Mizuki's control, so I won't get into trouble and as a reward for turning the traitor you can pass me. So, what do you say?" the blond asked the hokage

"Very well, but as usual I will give you guide line to what you can learn and what you can't, because there are various jutsu which if you do, you can die" hearing this Naruto gulped, the hokage continued "The first that you should learn is **shadow clone jutsu**, it creates solid clone which can perform any jutsu which you are able to perform and once they dispel, they give you their memories" hearing this Naruto nodded in understatement

The hokage continued "Then there is **shadow shuriken jutsu**, which can create solid clones of shuriken or kunai that you throw and are capable of doing damage. Both the jutsu require massive amount of chakra to execute properly and they are both Uzumaki clan's jutsu, so in a way they are your property. I would suggest you learn them first" with that he nodded and continued to listen.

"Next is **eight inner gates**, this technique open the gates which limit the chakra flow and thus it gives the user a boost for a short period of time but as a result user suffers from great pain and great damage once the jutsu is finished. If a person unlocks the eight and the final gate, then after the jutsu he dies" again Naruto gulped "but you don't have to worry till seven gates you should be fine, only an Uzumaki or Senju can perform this jutsu up to the seven gate without dying or if a person trains really hard to achieve it"

"Then there are some taijutsu moves which require **eight inner gates** to be open to be performed perfectly. Don't try this jutsu at that time, only learn it with your sharingan and you can perform it later and no matter what you do, do not think about learning the **reaper death seal **because if you perform the jutsu you die"

"Oh no, I think someone is coming, you should go" said the hokage

"**SEXY JUTSU**" Naruto shouted out causing him to transform.

"What are you do-" He stopped mid-sentence to see a beautiful blond there wearing nothing with only smoke covering her. The third fainted from blood loss that night.

"Hehe" Naruto went on his way running through the halls. When he got to the room he saw a big scroll with the words 'Forbidden scroll of sealing' on the front.

"This is it!" He said as he tied it to his back and left to the forest where Mizuki said he would meet him.

**Outside the hokage office**

"Lord Hokage, Naruto has gone too far this time" yelled a Chunin  
>"This is not a childish prank, lord hokage" yelled another<br>"He stole the forbidden scroll" yelled a jonin  
>"Recover the scroll and bring Naruto back to me, alive" commanded the hokage<p>

**Mizuki's Location – Meeting Point**

When he got there the clearing was empty. "Hm, he said he would be here. Oh well I suppose it is good I came early, I can get started with my part" He said as he ignored the warning about it being forbidden and opened it anyway. "Okay first is **shadow clone jutsu**" said Naruto as he read the instructions. "Put fingers in a cross seal like so" He said as he crossed his finger and began to concentrate his chakra. He trained like this for about a half an hour before finally getting it right.

"**Shadow clone jutsu**" He called out and two puffs of smoke appeared there stood two perfect copies of Naruto.  
>"Heh, YA I DID IT" He shouted he stood up and walked up to them.<br>"You don't look like illusions" He said as he put his hand out and poked one of them.  
>"Cause we're not" The one he poked said.<p>

"That is AWESOME!" Naruto called out as he dispelled the clones. He walked up intent on learning another jutsu when Iruka came into the clearing. He made several clones and commanded them "Copy every single jutsu from this scroll using your sharingan. Within an hour the clones were done copying, Naruto put the dummy scroll on his back and hid the original scroll in a nearby place. After some time, he was about to move, when a voice disturbed him in doing so.

"I. Found. You" he said between breaths. He looked like he has been running for a while.

"Iruka-sensei" Naruto looked at him with confusion 'Is it really Iruka sensei? Or is he Mizuki? Or is he working with Mizuki? No he can't' he thought and then he thought to play with him. "Heh, you found me. I was only able to learn one thing" he said smiling sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"You, you look all beaten up. What happened here?" he asked the blond. Who just shook his head and said, "Never mind that I'm gonna do an incredible jutsu and then you'll let me graduate" Iruka raised an eyebrow 'He's been practicing here enough to damage his body' Iruka thought as Naruto put his hands in a cross seal.

Suddenly Naruto heard whistling through the air as he was pushed back and Iruka was impaled by Shuriken and Kunai alike. "Iruka-sensei" Naruto said staring at his teacher in horror as Iruka stared at a branch with a dark figure crouched on it.

"Nice job finding the Moron" Mizuki's voice filled the clearing. He stared at the blond who was currently getting to his feet. "I see. So that's what's going on" Iruka said through clenched teeth, as he stared at the shadowy figure on the branch.

"Naruto, Give me the scroll" he called out to the blond who was dusting himself off.

"Naruto, no matter what, don't give him the scroll" Iruka said as he pulled out a few Kunai from his body. "Naruto, don't hand the scroll to Mizuki. That scroll is full of forbidden techniques that if it was in the wrong hands some terrible will happen. Mizuki just used you to obtain that scroll for himself"

Naruto just take the information calmly and answered. "Iruka-sensei, I know that from the very beginning"  
>Iruka looked wide eyes at that and asked "Then why-"<p>

"I know Mizuki-sensei want to trick me to get the scroll. But I played along with him so that I could test something out. And for that I need a lab rat or a punching bag, don't you agree?" said Naruto with a smirk looking up at Mizuki.

"Ho? So you know from the very beginning, but still do as I said? I thank you for bringing this scroll here, Kyuubi brat. Oh about that. Have you ever wondered why you were hated so much eh?" asked Mizuki with a wide smirk on his face.

"Don't, Mizuki. It was forbidden to talk about that" shouted Iruka in horror.

"Naruto, There's no point in having it. I'll tell you the truth" Iruka's eyes widened. He didn't dare tell him the truth, would he? "12 years ago the demon fox attacked the village and stuff, but already know that, don't you?" He said as he looked at Naruto who was currently looking at the ground listening to what Mizuki had to say. "The truth is the fox was never killed. He was sealed inside a new born child. And that child was you Naruto. YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX!" He shouted at the 12 year old who was currently shocked. "There was a rule created by third hokage 12 years ago after the incident. A rule that about you being a demon fox is to be kept a secret. You are the one that killed Iruka's parents and all the other Konoha shinobi!" finished Mizuki with glee.

Naruto turned his gaze to the ground and the shadow covered his eyes. 'Oh so that is true I am the jailer of the Kyuubi, but those people are foolish, they don't know a thing about sealing and they blame me for the act. But Iruka sensei was always there for me, and so was old man and then there is Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and my other friend and then there is Hinata who always admire me. There are many ANBU and other shinobi too. The only thing is why I, why didn't the fourth choose someone else. Maybe I was just lucky to be born then or maybe it's because of my chakra and being Uzumaki-'his thoughts were left as a new voice spoke to him

"**Because he was your father, haven't you notice the similarities between yourself and him and you call yourself smart**" said a heavy voice in his mind

'You must be the nine tailed fox, so you finally decided to talk, what was your name again, oh yeah you never told me your name in the first place, is it kyuubi or something else' he spoke to kyuubi in his mind

"**Very well, my name is Kurama, but leave the rest talk for later, concentrate on your enemy in front of you**" spoke Kurama in his head

"No one is ever going to recognize you. You are just a demon brat. Even Iruka hated you" shouted Mizuki looking at Naruto's unmoving figure.

Iruka looked at Naruto and wanted to tell him that it's not like that, that he is not a demon fox, that he did not hated him, Iruka looking at Naruto and shouted out. "Naruto, don't listen to him. You not a demon and never will be. You are Uzumaki Naruto not a demon fox"

Naruto completely ignored Iruka and looked at Mizuki and asked. "Are you finished? I won't explain anything to someone that didn't know anything about seals. Now just stand still there and be my test object, please"

Mizuki hearing that gritted his teeth in anger and threw the fuma shuriken behind his back at Naruto. Iruka seeing that shouted for Naruto to duck. But Naruto just stood there as the shuriken stuck at him. Iruka widen his eyes in horror while Mizuki smirking in satisfaction. Suddenly Naruto puff out and on his place is a wooden log. "Kawarimi, good job, Naruto" said Iruka and sighed in relief.

"You think you can beat me, I just need one punch to knock you out" yelled Mizuki

"And I'll give you a thousand back" yelled Naruto from somewhere in the forest, "**Shadow clone jutsu**" yelled Naruto again and within seconds, there were 1000 of Naruto and they were not just any clones, they were shadow clone. "Weren't you going to knock me out with just one punch, oh well it seems I have to give you back a thousand" spoke several Naruto at the same time. At this they all went and attacked him and Mizuki was now lying on the ground like a beaten pulp.

**Hokage's office**

'You learned the shadow clone in half an hour and not only that but you created 1000 with only your chakra, there is no presence of the fox's chakra' thought the hokage

**Back to the clearing**

He looked back at Iruka and replied "Sorry for ignoring you and I know that you don't hate me and there are many others who seem to care about me. Until they are there I don't have to worry about who hate me or not and one day I'll prove them that they are wrong"

Iruka looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Naruto, Close your eyes" Naruto obeyed and felt his goggles leave his head as warm fabric took its place. "Open" He opened his eyes to see Iruka smiling down at him with his forehead protector missing. "Congratulations, Naruto. You are now a genin of the leaf" He said with pride in his voice.

Naruto's face instantly brightened. "Really, THAT'S AWESOME!" He shouted jumping in the air then jumping into Iruka with his arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you" he kept repeating. And Iruka just pat him on the head.

"For a special treat I'll take you for ramen" Naruto's face, if even possible, became even brighter.  
>"Yeah" He shouted pumping a fist in the air<p>

**Outside the hokage office**

"He is nowhere" yelled a jonin  
>"We can't find him" yelled another<br>"There is only one person who can find him and that's Iruka" yelled an ANBU  
>"There is no need to find him, the scroll is safe and Naruto will be back in a few minutes" said the hokage<p>

**Hokage Office**

Hiruzen sighed after he watched the entire scene between Iruka and Naruto from his crystal ball. He was happy that things didn't get out of hand and that the real traitor was exposed and stopped. Leaving his private quarters, he went to his office and sent out a message calling off the hunt for Naruto, stating that the true criminal was found and that the scroll was being returned with the criminal brought in for questioning.

While in his office, Hiruzen took out his pipe and filled it with tobacco and lit it before taking a poof out of it. He exhaled the smoke from his mouth as he relaxed. His time for relaxing was cut short when Naruto appeared with both the scroll and a severely injured Mizuki being brought in by his clones.

"Here's the scroll," Naruto said as he entered and placed it down on the Hokage's desk, "And one of the many trashes of this village."

His clones dropped the still unconscious Mizuki on the floor without so much of a look of remorse. Hiruzen nodded and snapped his fingers. Two ANBU ninjas appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Take Mizuki to Ibiki for questioning," Hiruzen ordered. The two ninjas nodded and picked up the unconscious traitor and disappeared with him. With them gone, Hiruzen turned back to Naruto.

"Mission complete old man" Naruto yelled  
>"What, what are you talking about" asked Iruka<br>"I was on a solo B rank mission to capture Mizuki, didn't I said I know everything" replied Naruto

'What is he getting at, I didn't send him on a solo mission, and this is not according to the plan. Well it means I have to play according to his plan' "Yes Iruka he was on a solo mission and as such, he will be given the respective pay for that" replied the hokage

"Well done in exposing and capturing a traitor in our ranks Naruto," Hiruzen said, "Though your first unofficial solo mission, I'll give you a B-rank pay for it. Still, it's grievous that we have those willing to betray the will of fire this village possesses."

"But lord hokage, why did you have to risk the scroll and Naruto wasn't a genin at that point, so how did he get a mission and that to solo" asked Iruka

Before the hokage could come up with a solution and answer, Naruto replied in his favor "You see, Mizuki wanted to trick me so it was only fair if I was sent to lure and capture him and secondly the scroll was never there" at this the hokage and Iruka both raised an eyebrow for explanation, so the blond continued "The scroll was hidden and what I was carrying was a dummy scroll and last thing was that in order to become a genin I have to pass the graduation exam which was on clone jutsu, since I have such large chakra reserves, I was not able to create a single clone, so when I came to old man, he again tested me but this time he asked me to create as much clone as I can and much to his surprise as well as mine there were about 500 clones and at that moment I became a genin"

"Very well, since you know the clone and I have seen you do shadow clone, you are a genin by my permission" replied Iruka

"Now Naruto, what Mizuki told you was true, I was planning on telling you that once you became a genin and the rest of the secrets I will only tell you once you became Chunin" replied the hokage

"I have to tell you something too old man, first when Mizuki told me about the kyuubi, the kyuubi talked to me and I asked him his name and he told me that his name is Kurama, so whenever you talk about him please refer to its original name. Second the fact I am the jailer of the kyuubi doesn't bother me at all. I now know why they hated me and that's not their fault, they are small minded civilian and most of the jonin and Chunin aren't meant to be ninja if they didn't know the difference between a scroll and a kunai stored in it. Third I know that the fourth hokage was my dad" now hearing this the hokage as well as Iruka shouted at the same time "WHAT"

"But how did you know this, Naruto?" asked the hokage

"It makes sense really that fourth hokage; Minato Namikaze would use me as a host to contain Kyuubi" Naruto continued, "I mean, what father would ask another father to sacrifice their newborn child and their own life in the process in order to seal Kurama away? I'm sure my father as the fourth hokage couldn't ask anyone to do something he himself wasn't willing do with his own son. I'm sure my mother Kushina died that same day too though I don't exactly know how, but I'm certain it wasn't through childbirth."

"I kept the knowledge of your parent's identity a secret for your own protection. Both Minato and Kushina made many powerful enemies from both Kumo and Iwa; enemies that would have come after you repeatedly in an endeavor to get revenge on your parents by killing you. At that time Konoha was heavily weakened after the losses suffered from the Kyuubi's surprise attack. The only way to keep you safe was to keep your identity as Minato's son and descendant of the Uzumaki clan secret."

"Like I couldn't keep a secret if I was taught about my family," Naruto retorted unconvinced  
>"I was planning on telling you after you made Chunin," Hiruzen said.<p>

"And what if something had happened to you before that time," Naruto shot back, "Then what? Who else would have told me if not make sure I didn't get promoted beyond Genin?" Hiruzen inwardly flinched at Naruto's logical jab. In all honesty, Hiruzen never took that possibly of his death before revealing to Naruto his heritage into consideration. "Continue with your story" he said

"When it was announced that you were the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, the one that jailed it, the ninjas and villagers, out of rage and feelings of the sorrow and loss for their loved ones and close friends looked at you as the weakened version of the Kyuubi and called for you to be immediately executed. It almost turned into an all-out riot. I passed a law forbidding anyone under penalty of death from telling their children who knew nothing of your status as the Jinchuriki the truth about what truly happened on the night of Kyuubi's attack."

"And in blind faith you and along with a few others hoped that this would allow me to live a normal life," Naruto replied.

"It was your father's final wish that you be acknowledged as the hero who saves Konoha everyday by jailing the Kyuubi, believing that someday you'd develop and find use for it in protecting Konoha," Hiruzen added, "I couldn't deny his request, which he practically made on his deathbed even though I suspected what the reactions of the populous would be."

"Yeah, and we all saw what happened" he yelled, the hokage started laughing, "And what's so funny," Naruto asked indignantly, "You take me for a joke?" Hiruzen calmed down to get his bearings back together.

"You remind me of so much of your father with that same attitude it's scary," Hiruzen answered, "He was just as protective of your mother while they were Academy students growing up back then."

"He was," Naruto asked curiously.

Hiruzen explained, "Minato and Kushina knew each other since they started the Academy. Your father always had a huge crush on her though Kushina at first didn't acknowledge him. Your mother was a foreigner from Uzu, which was once a prestigious village ruled by the Uzumaki clan, a clan once renowned and feared by other elemental nations and villages for their great seal masters. Kushina and Minato's romance didn't start out perfectly even though he always had an obvious attraction to her. Like you Naruto, your mother was treated as an outcast but that was because she was a foreigner. Your mother though didn't tolerate anyone's mistreatment of her and she would fight and beat up anyone her crossed her. Minato though saw passed all her faults and bias views of her and from the shadows he'd always watched over Kushina, admiring her while in hiding from her sight." He went on "One day though Kumo ninjas infiltrated Konoha and kidnapped your mother"

"Why," Naruto asked, "What did they want with my mother?"

"There's a secret about your clan's bloodline you must know before I continue and why Minato used you as the host for Kyuubi," Hiruzen said, "You see, only an Uzumaki can hold Kyuubi, anyone else would die in the attempt to become a Jinchuriki for that beast. This is because the Uzumaki's were known for their longevity, massive chakra, stamina and endurance. You Naruto are the third Jinchuriki of Kyuubi."

"What," Naruto asked, "I'm the third Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi?"

Hiruzen nodded, "The first one was a woman named Uzumaki Mito; she was the wife of our late First Hokage. She used herself to seal Kyuubi away. After many years she when approaching the end of her life a new Jinchuriki was needed before her death. Your mother had special chakra that she could form and solidify into chains strong enough to hold down Kyuubi, which was why she was chosen and brought to Konoha, to become the second Jinchuriki."

Naruto was shocked and speechless by that bombshell. "My mother was the Jinchuriki before me," Naruto asked.

"She was," Hiruzen continue, "Sometime later after she became a Genin, Kumo got wind of Kushina's abilities and sought to use her as their instrument. No one else was aware of Kushina going missing, but Minato did and went after her before the Kumo ninjas reached the border and singlehandedly defeated her kidnappers and rescued Kushina."

"My father was that strong even then," Naruto asked.

"He loved your mother to the point that he traced her red hair deposits she dropped to the ground as a hopeful trail for our trackers," Hiruzen said, "Only Minato caught onto it. Kushina fell in love with Minato ever since. Just as Minato saved your mother from her loneliness and kidnappers, Hinata saved you from your loneliness and darkness, just as you said before; quite the parallel."

Naruto stayed quietly momentarily to take in everything he was now being told, information, though brief, he wanted to know for many years. Soon though, he broke his silence. "How did they die," Naruto asked, "What were the exact circumstances?"

"…When you mother became pregnant with you," Hiruzen explained, "It brought about a dangerous situation with it that threatened Konoha's safety."

"How so," Naruto asked

"When a female Jinchuriki becomes pregnant," Hiruzen continued, "Their seal containing the beast is at its weakest during childbirth. That was also the case with Mito Uzumaki after she become pregnant. During that critical situation and for Konoha's safety, both Mito and Kushina had to give birth outside the village in the event Kyuubi managed to escape. All preparations and ANBU security were made for your birth at an undisclosed chamber a good distance outside Konoha's walls. My late wife and a young female medic were with both Minato and Kushina when Kushina went into labor. Minato was to keep the seal holding Kyuubi stabilized while Kushina gave birth to you. But something went terribly wrong during your birth and Kyuubi was released. I'm sorry to say Naruto but I don't know exactly what happened that led to Kyuubi's sudden escape from Kushina's seal and both my wife and her medic assistant were killed in the process. Deep down though, I knew foul play was involved even though we made sure no one within Konoha's walls knew of Kushina giving birth."

"Were the villagers aware that my mother was a Jinchuriki," Naruto asked.

Hiruzen shook his head, "Her status was never disclosed to the public so we were confident that no one knew; but we never thought about anyone outside Konoha knowing of it and knowing when she was due to give birth to you."

"How do you know foul play might have been involved," Naruto asked.

"All of the ANBU ninjas selected for the security details were found dead but not by Kyuubi's hands," Hiruzen explained, "But through strangulation. My wife and her assistant's bodies were also found and upon medical examination, nothing showed that their deaths were the result of Kyuubi's attack but by the same unknown enemy who stabbed them. What happened between that enemy and Minato is unknown but I believe Minato fought the attacker before turning his attention back to Kyuubi who was wreaking havoc on the village while my ninjas and I were doing all we could to hold that beast off." He continued "When Minato appeared, he summoned Gamabunta, the Toad Boss and had him grabbed and hold onto Kyuubi long enough to relocate the both of them. Using the very jutsu that made him known and feared as Konoha's Yellow Flash, Hiraishin, Minato teleported both himself and Kyuubi over to the very location where you and Kushina were. A few of my ninjas and I hurry as fast as were could to follow after him once we saw how far he teleported with Kyuubi. It was a while before we arrived but when we did we found that Kushina, despite being fatally injured from Kyuubi release, used her remaining chakra chains to hold Kyuubi down while your father began the sealing ritual."

"What did you do in all this after your arrival," Naruto asked.

"…There wasn't anything I or my ninjas could do," Hiruzen sighed, "Minato formed a large barrier around himself, Kushina, you and Kyuubi. It was clear that they were going to stop and seal away Kyuubi by themselves without outside interference. All we were able to do was listen and watch as things played out. Your father, through the use of an S-class kinjutsu **Reaper Death Seal**, sealed the dark half of Kyuubi's chakra into himself before he sealed Kyuubi away into you."

"He chose to use THAT kind of jutsu," Naruto screeched, "And everyone calls me crazy? Why didn't he just seal both halves of Kyuubi into me seeing that my mother had the whole thing in her at one time like Mito Uzumaki?"

"I don't know to be honest," Hiruzen admitted, "He evidently knew something we didn't and died with whatever it was he knew."

"So this Shinigami instantly ate my father's soul right after sealing the dark half of Kurama within my father," Naruto said.

"No," Hiruzen said, "As Minato prepared to seal away the Kyuubi into you, your dying mother got weaker, enough for Kyuubi to be partially freed from her chakra chains as he aimed to kill you to prevent himself from being sealed away inside you. Your father and mother saw this and rushed to you, using themselves as human shields to protect you as Kyuubi ended up impaling the both of them with his claw as the chains around him tightened. Your parents imparted their final words to you though I don't know what it was they said to you right before they sealed Kyuubi into you. But I do know that they died smiling knowing you were their surviving legacy and that they got to see you before their tragic demise."

"After Kyuubi was sealed into you, he deactivated the barrier seal, which allowed me and the ninjas with me to rush over to where the three of you were. Kushina by that time had already died in Minato's arms. Your father, with his last breaths, asked that you be acknowledged by the villagers as the hero saves them by bearing the burden of jailing the Kyuubi. He wished the very best for you even though things didn't turn out the way he have hope." He ended with his speech

"Out of curiosity though," Naruto asked, "What happened after I was put out of the orphanage even though you found a place for me to live at?"

"I personally fired everyone that worked at the orphanage and had their child-caring licenses and other related certifications revoked," Hiruzen replied truthfully, "They also spent time in jail before I was able to find suitable replacements to work at the orphanage."

"You did all that," Naruto remarked with a smile, "Well I guess it won't be long before I fully forgive you then. Anyway, it's been a really long night and everything I learned tonight gave me a whole lot to think about. So I'll be on my way now."

"Naruto," Hiruzen said, "Now isn't the time for the truth about your backgrounds to be made known to the populous. I trust that you will not try to publicize your parentage to them for now."

"Even if I did they wouldn't believe me," Naruto admitted but he smiled brightly, "But still, when the time comes they will believe and accept me as I will bring about a new rise to the Uzumaki clan! And in time, I will take that hat and robe from you and become this village's strongest Hokage! Anything else I will ask you later, I am tired and I have to take my treat from Iruka sensei" he glanced towards Iruka and then continued "And I learned every single jutsu from the scroll using my sharingan"

"What Sharingan?" asked Iruka  
>"I'll tell you later" he replied<br>"So this means you learned the **reaper death seal **and** reanimation jutsu** also" the hokage asked  
>"Yes, but don't worry I won't use it, you can trust me old man" with that said he left the hokage office<p>

The hokage opened the scroll to check whether everything was alright or not and he was amazed to see what the blond did. He wrote his own creation **Sexy jutsu** in the scroll. The description was "**Sexy jutsu**, a C rank jutsu that requires **solid henge**. The person transform himself in a nude for of either male or female and this technique have an incredible effect on the opposite sex. The third hokage along with some Chunin and jonin as well as some ANBU were knocked down by this. It is created by Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and he successfully knocked down the third hokage indirectly killing him. This technique requires a large amount of chakra to be launched effectively and being a **solid henge**, the pleasurable parts can be felt by others making it more powerful. It can also be used as a combination jutsu if used by two or more than two persons or by shadow clone"

'One problem after another, but that jutsu is forbidden indeed and it is effectively powerful too' thought the hokage

**At Ichiraku's**

At Ichiraku's, he explained everything to Iruka about his sharingan and his abilities and the reason of being the dead last. When he told about the forbidden scroll, everyone burst out laughing.

**After a while, with Sasuke**

"So Mizuki turned out to be a traitor." Sasuke stated blandly. "Doesn't surprise me. I never liked him anyways. He was one of the teachers that tried to constantly sabotage you. I wish I could have kicked his ass myself," Sasuke muttered darkly. Naruto only rolled his eyes at the Uchiha's protectiveness.

"If you had kicked his ass, there would be nothing left for the T&I department to work with." Sasuke only smirked.

"Damn right there wouldn't be." Naruto smacked him lightly on the back of his head, making the Uchiha grunt and send his brother a half-hearted glare as he rubbed the sore area.

"What have I told you about killing anyone that shows me signs of disrespect?" He looked away, mumbling his answer sulkily.

"Not to as long as they're not physically harming you or trying to take your life..." Naruto nodded in approval as he began to clean up the table, Sasuke doing the same as they finished their little graduation party.

"Good, besides we should be more focused on whatever test our jonin sensei is going to throw at us." Sasuke only shrugged as he started wiping down the table while Naruto started with the dishes in the sink.

"It's not like we can plan anything until we know where the test is going to take place and if we'll have enough time to prepare at all. We'd also have to take into account who our third member will be." Both shuddered at that, knowing just which kunoichi they might have potentially ended up with.

"Have I ever told you how glad I am you told that pink haired banshee you don't like 'know- it-all'?" Sasuke nodded.

"Only after every time we see and hear her screech." It was a hasty, panicked decision on their part when they found out that the rookie of the year was placed with the dead last and the person with the second highest score and since the one that fit that profile at the time was Sakura, they had made a plan immediately to change that.

The plan itself was rather easy, all Naruto had to do was ask a well-timed question to what he thought of girls who tried too hard to get perfect scores on every test. Sasuke had responded that he didn't like know-it-alls that flaunted their intelligence, something Sakura had been trying to do to impress Sasuke. The effects were immediate as Sakura soon found herself slowly becoming in the low high scores of the class, purposefully getting some things wrong in order to show her 'Sasuke' that she wasn't one of those girls.

"...well as long as it's not Sakura. Anyone is better than Sakura." Naruto smirked as he finished washing the dishes, Sasuke placing the rag in the empty sink.

"Even Ino?" He questioned teasingly. Sasuke only grunted.

"At least she actually trains occasionally. Sakura barely has enough chakra to be considered a genin." Naruto nodded, acquiescing Sasuke's point.

"Well, we'll see at team assignments. We'll plan after we factor in our teammate and the test."

"Then we'll pass and you can finally stop wearing that horrendous orange jumpsuit and start acting more like yourself." Naruto pouted at the jab to his outfit.

"I'll have you know that this jumpsuit provides fantastic stealth training and I happen to like the color orange." he winced when he looked down at his clothes. "Just...not as much as this." Sasuke only chuckled at his brother's response.

"Don't worry, you'll only have to wear it for a little bit longer. Just a few more days and we'll both be able to show the village just how wrong they were about you." Naruto only smiled at the Uchiha's statement, surprising Sasuke by suddenly flicking his nose. Naruto smiled warmly at him and spoke before Sasuke had the chance to.

"Thanks, Sasuke" He sent a confused glance at his brother while rubbing his nose, already used to Naruto randomly flicking his nose sometimes.

"What for?" Naruto only laughed at his inquiry.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke's perplexed expression only served to make Naruto laugh harder. He knew everything would work out fine, as long as Sasuke was on his side. 'The next few days are going to be interesting at least.'


	7. Chapter 6 : Team Seven

**Chapter 6: Team Seven**

**2 days later – In the academy**

He sat in the classroom resting his head on his arms on the table, a wide grin on his face as a low chuckle escaped him very few moments. On his forehead was Iruka's headband, which he had spent the almost two hours last cleaning and polishing. He couldn't believe his incredible good luck at finally becoming a genin.

In his mind's eye were the jutsu's that he'd mesmerized from the scroll. **Shadow clone jutsu** had been the easiest for him to learn surprisingly. It seemed that his years of studying chakra usage and manipulation had paid off. He learned the kinjutsu in less than half the time it probably could've taken him. He was also thinking about what happened yesterday, when he met Konohamaru, the thirds grandson and end up teaching him his **sexy jutsu**.

**Flashback**

Naruto had just finished ninja ID photo with his card finalized. Surprisingly, he wasn't in the mood for jokes like painting his hands and face with feudal war makeup for his photo shoot, though it was tempting. After his ID card was made, Hiruzen told Naruto to head to his office so he could discuss something with him. Arriving at the office, Naruto stood in front of Hiruzen's desk.

"So what is it you wanted to see me about," Naruto asked. Hiruzen tossed a sealed envelope at Naruto who effortlessly caught it.

"Your unofficial B-rank pay for Mizuki's capture and the return of the Forbidden Scroll," Hiruzen said.

"Is that all," Naruto asked.

"No," Hiruzen replied, "There's something further I wish to discuss with you; something I neglected to mention to you yesterday about your clan's ties with Konoha."

"Alright," Naruto said, "You have my full attention."  
>"I'm sure you notice the red spiral designs that all of the ninjas of Konoha wear, yes," Hiruzen brought up.<br>"What of them," Naruto remarked.  
>"That spiral is the official insignia of your clan, the Uzumaki clan" Hiruzen stated.<br>"Say what," Naruto said.

"The Senju clan had very strong bonds and ties with the Uzumaki clan," Hiruzen explained, "In fact, both clans had a common ancestor thus they're practically cousins and brethren to each other. So close their ties to each other that first hokage fell in love and married Mito Uzumaki and decreed as law that all Konoha ninjas wear the crest of the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki's too were known for their red hair, which was basically their trademark."

"Amazing how this vital piece of the village's history was omitted from the Academy's lecture program," Naruto remarked, "I find it insulting that the village wears my family crest yet scorn the surviving heir and legacy of the Uzumaki seal masters. Wouldn't the first hokage be proud to see what his people have done?" Hiruzen didn't miss the stinging sarcasm in Naruto's words and tone. "Was the Uzumaki clan truly forgotten by the villagers," Naruto asked, "Or is it because that I'm a known Jinchuriki by the older generations that my clan's legacy which help build this village was kept classified from those of the younger generation?"

Hiruzen sighed, "…As I told you before, both your parents and clan made powerful enemies. You being the son of the fourth hokage and the rightful heir of the Uzumaki clan would price of huge price tag of your head."

"It's rather contradictory really seeing that my last name is Uzumaki," Naruto emphasized, "It'll be known to many others once you start assigning me C to S-class missions."

"Go straight from C to S-class," Hiruzen noted, "Aren't you sure of yourself."

"Why shouldn't I be," Naruto shot back, "My first lifelong mission is in fact a high S-class mission that my own father, your late successor, gave me personally a mere hour after my birth: Jail Kurama as its Jinchuriki while protecting Konoha from it. And find a way to use his chakra to protect the village. Tell me what about that isn't S-class, documented or not, especially since you and your unknown ninjas, eye witnessed me being given this mission though I wasn't an official ninja at the time of my birth? Perhaps you can start paying me thirteen years of S-class pay for my services which Konoha is far behind on."

Hiruzen's right eye started twitching as he listened to Naruto's words, most of it serious while the last part he was sure was a joke to get on his nerves. "Thirteen years of S-class pay," Hiruzen remarked as he took a puff of his pipe, "…Surely, you can't be serious."

A small youth with a white helmet and long blue scarf approached the door and quietly cracked it open enough to see Naruto and the Hokage talking to each other. The said youth held a kunai in one of his hands. 'I'll get him for sure, the youth said, He won't escape from me.' Grasping his kunai, the boy rushed through the door and went straight for his target. "You're mine Naruto," the boy yelled as he rushed at Naruto. The blonde Jinchuriki turned and side stepped the boy to the left.

"What the hell," Naruto exclaimed as the boy passed by Naruto. Moving too fast, the boy stepped on his own long scarf and lost his balance before falling facedown to the ground with an audible thud.

"Konohamaru," Hiruzen chided and sighed, "…What's the meaning of this?" Konohamaru whined and rubbed his sore face after crashing to the floor.

"Konohamaru," Naruto questioned, "And who's he exactly?"

"…My eight-year-old grandson," Hiruzen replied with a puff of his pipe. Konohamaru stood back up and turned to Naruto with his kunai pointed at the blonde.

"Why the hell are you trying to attack me," Naruto asked.

"I heard from some kunoichi's how you soloed my grandfather and all of the ninjas and wannabes with him at the ninja academy when you were nine years old," Konohamaru said, "If I can solo you, then I have a shot at beating my grandfather!"

Hiruzen felt the wound in his pride widened on hearing that. 'He placed me on a pedestal lower than Naruto's' Hiruzen mentally groaned as he could only wonder from which one the kunoichi's Konohamaru received his information. Naruto looked at the eight-year-old incredulously before smirking. His smirk turned into a snicker, which in turn turned into an all-out laughter. Naruto held onto his sides from the cramps that formed from his hard laughter.

"I like you kid," Naruto laughed loudly, "That's the first time anyone ever thought so highly of me to the point of believing that my defeat would mean having a shot at defeating the Hokage! After today you scored very high marks in my book!"

"Don't take me lightly Naruto," Konohamaru challenged as he ran towards him again with his kunai aimed at him. This time however Naruto rushed at Konohamaru at a speed Konohamaru's eyes failed to see. The next thing Konohamaru knew was that Naruto was holding him firmly with his right arm twisted and pressed to his back with Naruto holding the very kunai used against him at his jugular. The boy was able to feel the cold razor sharp blade up against the skin of his throat. Konohamaru cringed from the pain but trembled more so from the bloodlust that leaked from Naruto.

"You can't do this to me," Konohamaru whined while trying to hide his fear, "I'm the Hokage's grandson!"

"Konohamaru," Naruto said patiently, "I took out a Chunin, with the utmost brutality, just last night for pissing me off. You think your status as the Hokage's grandson matters to me? I could care less if you were the sole grandson of the Fire Daimyo himself!"

"Honorable grandson," the Jonin called out as he ran into the Hokage's office to see what was transpiring. After seeing the position Konohamaru was in, the Jonin looked at the one responsible. Upon seeing that it was Naruto, the Jonin gave the Jinchuriki a dirty and threating look.

"Disarm yourself and release the honorable grandson this instant," the Jonin warned, "Or suffer the consequences!"

"I'm in my rights," Naruto replied, "He attacked first and I merely acted on self-defense."

"He's telling the truth Ebisu," Hiruzen defended, "Konohamaru was at it again hoping to catch either me or one of my ninjas by surprise."

Naruto removed the kunai from Konohamaru's throat before he released him. Konohamaru turned to face Naruto. "You have a long way to go before you can beat your grandfather or anyone else at his level," Naruto said before dropping the kunai at Konohamaru's feet. The boy bent down and reached for it. When he did however, Naruto punched the back of Konohamaru's helmet hard enough to knock the boy to the ground on his face again.

"Ouch!" Konohamaru whined after feeling his face hitting the ground again.

"Honorable grandson," Ebisu called out as he hurried over to the youth. Hiruzen watched the scene before seeking to chastise Naruto while wondering what triggered Naruto's sudden actions.

"Lesson One," Naruto said, "Never lower guard and eyes to an enemy that had it within his power to kill you mere moments ago before seemingly sparing you. I baited you to pick up that kunai and you predictably fell for it, dropping your guard completely. If I were a true enemy, you'd dead now."

Konohamaru looked at Naruto with a frown but gave him no retort. "You dare talk like a know-it-all before the Hokage and his honorable grandson," Ebisu accused, "Have some respect brat!"

"My respect is earned not given freely," Naruto replied, "And who are you exactly?"  
>"I'm Ebisu," Ebisu said, "And I'm Konohamaru's sensei."<br>"Don't look like much to me," Naruto mocked, "More like another closet pervert."  
>"You insolent brat," Ebisu retorted indignantly, "Don't you dare insult me!"<br>Naruto shrugged and turned back to Hiruzen, "I'll be seeing you whenever!"

Naruto way over to the balcony and leapt off of it. Landing on one of the roof tops, he dashed off away from the tower. Hiruzen stood up and walked over to the balcony where Naruto took off from. Ebisu went over to Hiruzen and apologize, "My apologies Lord Hokage. I should have been more alert in keeping Konohamaru from being struck by the kid."

"You ought to be more concerned by the fact that my grandson is no longer in your sight again," Hiruzen pointed out as both turned to see that Konohamaru was no longer in the office. In fact, he was no longer present in the building.

"Now where did he run off to," Ebisu hollered.

**Meanwhile**

Naruto was making his way to his next destination, all the while thinking of what Hiruzen told him about the ties between the Senju and Uzumaki clans. While Naruto was thinking about those and other things, his eyes soon caught sight of something that didn't blend in well with the scenery of the wall. "If you're going to spy and follow me," Naruto replied, "At the very least, put more sincere effort into it."

Konohamaru dropped the blanket sheet meant to conceal him from Naruto's sight. "You're truly are a strong ninja Boss" Konohamaru praised.

"Boss" Naruto repeated as if the title was foreign to him, "No one ever called me that before. So what do want Konohamaru?"

"I want to learn from you," Konohamaru answered, "I want you to become my new sensei."  
>"What," Naruto replied, "Your sensei?"<p>

"Yeah," Konohamaru said, "I heard things about you from a couple of kunoichi's that said from what they saw and see in you that you have true potential to be a great ninja."

"Are you making that crap up just so you can try to get me to drop my guard and attack me by surprise again," Naruto asked.

"No, I swear it," Konohamaru hurriedly confirmed, "On my honor as the future Hokage!"  
>"You want to become Hokage," Naruto asked.<br>"That's right," Konohamaru said, "You singlehandedly defeated my grandfather years ago."  
>"Actually," Naruto muttered, "I did it again recently."<br>"You did what," Konohamaru asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Naruto replied quickly, "Since I'm said to have bested old man and you wish to become Hokage like I do, why you would want me to become your so-called sensei? Don't you think that's a contradiction since we both want the same goal?"

"What's a contradiction," Konohamaru asked with a confused look.

"When certain chain of events, objectives or statements made that doesn't make sense or go together," Naruto answered.

"Whatever," Konohamaru replied, "I want you as my new sensei because of the way you treat and view me. You're not like Ebisu-sensei or the other villagers."

"Really," Naruto asked, "How so?"

"Everyone's always sucking up to me," Konohamaru said with annoyance in his tone, "They don't see me for me. They only see me as 'Honorable Grandson' of Hokage. It sucks always being under my grandfather's shadow and only be acknowledged just because of who I'm related to."

"What about this Ebisu person," Naruto inquired, "He's a Jonin, yes?"

"Ebisu-sensei is always talking about knowing short cuts to becoming Hokage," Konohamaru remarked, "So far I haven't seen any results. But what you taught me today at my grandfather's office proves what I heard about you, and you're not afraid to tell me or anyone else things as they are."

"And here's something else to learn," Naruto said, "There are no short cuts in life or in accomplishing anything we want to do. But tell me something; are you good at any ninjutsu?"

"I have studied and practiced using chakra," Konohamaru explained, "But I haven't gotten the part of henge or anything else down pack yet."

"Alright then," Naruto suggested, "Let's see what we can do about that. You up to it?"  
>"Yeah," Konohamaru said enthusiastically as he followed Naruto tot their next destination.<p>

**After a while**

"Damn kid," Naruto remarked, "Your execution of Henge is atrocious!" What Naruto was looking at was a fattened and disfigured version of a young pretty woman that Konohamaru attempted to change into. Konohamaru failed miserably to execute henge in spite of his best efforts. "But on the plus side you got her clothes coloring correct," Naruto added before sensing bloodlust being aimed at him.

"Are you saying that looks like me," the woman said darkly before she threw a punch at Naruto from behind. Naruto side stepped her as her fist flew right passed him.

"Physically speaking, no," Naruto replied before he pointed to the still transformed Konohamaru and mocked, "But your violent behavior certainly reflects the ugliness quite accurately."

"Why you," the woman screeched as she chased after Naruto who screamed and ran from her.

"Boss," Konohamaru yelled worriedly as he changed back and ran after them. A couple of seconds later, Konohamaru was pulled behind a dumpster as the running pair turned the corner and disappeared from his sight.

"That ought to keep her busy for a while," Naruto grinned mischievously with Konohamaru looking at him with awe while trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Huh? But how," Konohamaru asked with a perplexed expression, "You were just being chased by that-"

"Things aren't always as they seem Konohamaru," Naruto interjected, "Don't always believe what your eyes see. Deception is just one of the many tools we ninjas use all the time."

"But if you're here," Konohamaru asked, "Then who was she chasing?"

"A **Shadow clone**," Naruto said, "I made one appear behind this dumpster and switched with it faster than either you or woman could see. It'll be a while before she realizes that she got duped."

"You're so cool boss," Konohamaru praised, "Much better than Ebisu-sensei! You just gotta teach me your secrets and how to be just as cool as you!"

"Everything takes time Konohamaru," Naruto said, "And it won't happen overnight either. But let's do something else. There's a jutsu I created that I like to teach to you."

"Really," Konohamaru asked, "What kind of jutsu?"

"A really strong one that can knock out males effectively," Naruto explained as he led the younger boy out of the alley and over to their next destination that was a couple of blocks away from where they were. "I usually would come here for my extensive research when I have the time to," Naruto said with a perverted smile, "The resourceful specimens I find here have proven to be most beneficial."

"What kind of research could you possibly get done here at the women's bathhouse," Konohamaru asked with a confused look.

"Research that helped me in improving my jutsu that I created and sharpening my sexual incentives," Naruto explained, "That's one of many instruments we ninjas also used to our advantage against unsuspecting targets, whether they're male or female."

"How do you sharpen your sexual incentives by looking at a bunch of naked girls and women," Konohamaru asked.  
>"Because Konohamaru," Naruto replied mischievously, "Girls talk."<p>

"I don't get it," Konohamaru said with a dumbfound expression, "So what so if they talk. Don't we talk as we're doing now?"

"…That's not the kind of talk I'm referring to," Naruto sighed, "Let me explain to you in a way you can understand. But tell me, how much about girls do you know?"

"Not much really," Konohamaru admitted, "Except that I've seen some that looked really cute and pretty. I never kissed one either though sometimes they smell nice."

Naruto caught the blush that appeared on Konohamaru's cheeks after making that last comment. "Well," Naruto said, "What you told me so far is a good start. Come; let me teach you some things about them as we go elsewhere for you to practice that jutsu I'll soon teach you."

**End of flashback**

He was pried from his examinations of his jutsu ace when a familiar voice spoke to him. "What are you doing here, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "This class isn't for dropouts. You can only be here if you graduated."

Sitting up, Naruto tapped Iruka's Leaf headband that he wore proudly. He couldn't help but to add a bit of sarcasm to his voice as he answered. "Oh yeah… See this? Open your eyes, Shikamaru, it's a regulation headband."

The Nara boy scrawled at the blonde's attitude. He quickly zoned out as Naruto launched into a speech of how the headband was meant for him. But where Shikamaru hardly heard a word, Hinata was hanging onto every syllable. Her curiosity was starting to eat at her as to how he passed. She had been sure that he had failed once again.

A rather loud commotion from the doorway behind her drew Naruto's attention toward her, and Shikamaru used the distraction to escape. It was almost painfully easy to determine who the girls were behind her, even without using her Byakugan, Ino and Sakura. It was especially easy to guess from the way Naruto's face started to redden.

Since she was more concerned with watching Naruto, she could've sworn that he was actually looking at her. This thought brought a small blush to her face, it deepened slightly when she saw Naruto's blush get deeper. Was he actually looking at her?

That question seemed to be answered when his face suddenly started moving, following Sakura's movements. He stood up and waved to her, calling a happy greeting, her response?

"Move it!" she snarled, knocking him aside. She did this so she could stand close to Sasuke as she asked in what she thought was a sweet and endearing voice. "Good morning, Sasuke, do mind if I sit next to you?"

The Uchiha heir only spared her a glance before he returned to his brooding. It was like this every morning, this routine. If it wasn't Sakura or Ino, then it was some other kunoichi wannabe. He was getting quite sickened of the repetitious behavior these girls exhibited. So he becoming a genin was an even bigger relief than he wanted to admit.

Getting up with a glare, Naruto worked his way around the gathered and arguing kunoichi. With a small hop, he was landed on Sasuke's desk and squatted down. He glared at his rival, trying to see what was so special about him that made most of the girls turn into such bitches. He simply stated Sasuke a look stating '**Why can't you pick anyone in them, if you do so they will stop dreaming about you**' to this Sasuke gave him his reply '**I don't like any of them, they are not meant to be a shinobi**' Naruto didn't said anything but he simply nodded.

"Naruto" Sakura snapped. "Hey, stop glaring at Sasuke!"

The blonde spared the pink-haired girl a small, hurt glance. Then he promptly returned to glaring and scrutinizing the Uchiha. Sasuke returned the glare full force, making a mental note to beat the crap out of the blonde later. This glaring contest turned out to be a big mistake on both their parts as another genin-hopeful accidentally bumped into Naruto. The bump, however soft, was more than enough to send the blonde face first into Sasuke's face. Though it lasted scarcely a nanosecond, that unintentional and utterly disgusting kiss was forever burned into the minds the gathered girls. But when everyone noticed it was not Naruto that was kissing him, it was Ino.

Neither boy noticed the darkening expressions of the incredibly angry and jealous kunoichi as they broke apart and Sasuke immediately started to gag like he'd been poisoned. It was only when a wave of killing desire washed over him that Naruto felt it. Danger!

"Naruto," Sakura said in deceptively calm voice, speaking for the girls behind and beside her. "You are so dead."

Ino didn't have any thoughts, she was just happy that she kissed Sasuke while Sasuke was having a lot of thoughts 'He did it on purpose, I'll get you for this Naruto'

**Hokage Office**

"Most promising, young student, Uchiha Sasuke," a Jonin said quietly. Gazing into the Hokage's crystal at the brooding youth, he asked, "Is that him?"  
>"Yes," the Hokage confirmed.<br>"He's the only survivor of the Uchiha clan," muttered Kurenai, the newest and only female Jonin of the gathered shinobi.

She was looking for a familiar Hyuga girl, Hinata. It had been a few years since she'd last seen the girl, having to escort her to the academy when she was younger. Though she personally didn't appreciate the kind of attention that her father gave her, she could fully understand his need for precaution; especially after that cloud village incident almost ten years earlier. So she felt it her duty to continue watching over her and she all but demanded that the Hyuga be placed on her team.

"That's right," Hokage confirmed again as he sent the crystal ball into zoom in on the other students as well. It was a practice that was started with the first Hokage; showing the Jonin instructors the genin-hopefuls through the crystal so they'd have some idea as to what their possible students looked like.

As it came upon the group of gathered and bickering kunoichi, all the Jonin noticed one hot-headed blonde make his way over to the Uchiha. A silver-haired Jonin watched the pair's confrontation with interest since he already knew that they were on his team.

A rivalry between the best in the class and the worst in class, he realized instantly, not exactly original. With an unnoticed sigh, he suppressed the memories of his long-past teammate. They had been rivals, but ultimately friends in the end. He found himself not exactly looking forward to interacting with this group as he could already tell that they'd stir up a lot of unwanted memories.

"As usual," Hokage said, more to himself than the others. He sighed in resignation as he watched the kunoichi beat on a thoroughly terrified blonde. "Naruto's right in the middle of some kind of trouble."

"Lord Hokage" said one of the Jonin. "Is it really wise to let that boy become a shinobi?"

"What could be wrong with it?" Hokage asked, feeling a slight headache approaching. He knew that this was coming. It pained him to know that even a Jonin couldn't tell the difference between Naruto and Kyuubi. "He has shown exceptional skills, as I'm sure you've heard of his victory over Mizuki. And it remains up to his Jonin instructor to pass him or not." The Jonin nodded, accepting the silent order to drop the subject.

**Back at the academy**

"A three-man squad?" this was the collective thought of various genin-hopefuls throughout the room.

As whispers erupted around the room, many guessing as to who would be pair with who, Ino smirked. It was destiny that she'd be placed with her Sasuke, they were meant for each other. It didn't matter who their third teammate was as long as she could be with Sasuke, preferably alone.

"Well, someone's gotta be in Sasuke's group," she said down to Sakura who sat a row beneath her, between a still-brooding Sasuke and a severely bruised Naruto. "I wonder who?" she left the sentence hanging.

"I don't know," Sakura said simply, almost nonchalantly. Glancing back at her once best friend and current rival, she felt her 'Inner Sakura' flare up. "**DUH, I'm gonna be with Sasuke, so stay away from him, you hag!**"

As Iruka began announcing the teams, the class was strangely silent. That is until the kids whose names were already been called started talking amongst each other. But that changed with the arrival of "Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto…" Naruto lifted his head at the sound of his name. "Haruno Sakura…" After a second's pause, Naruto let out a loud victory cry as Sakura's face fell in depression. "…and Uchiha Sasuke" In a flash, the pink-haired girl's positions changed. Sakura giving out a victorious yelp while Naruto didn't have a problem with it, because it was all his plan

'Well, I guess his plan worked and I don't have any problem with this team if only Sakura starts maturing a bit and act like a non-fan girl' thought Sasuke

'I won't be with Naruto then', was Hinata's saddened realization. She couldn't help but stare at his drooping head, feeling an urge to rush down there to comfort him. But she couldn't do that; he'd think she was probably some stalker or something.

"Now, Team Eight: Hyuga Hinata…" She returned her attention to Iruka and quietly acknowledged her fate. "…Inuzuka Kiba" The said boy chuckled at finally being called, more than happy at being paired with his beloved Hinata. "…and Aburame Shino" The said boy merely adjusted his sunglasses.

Turning back to Ino, Sakura chucked deviously as she shot her rival a victory-v. Her smirk was large and promised to grow in size at the blonde's disbelief and anger. "How did you get in his group?" she could barely stop herself from yelling that question.

Sakura didn't answer, but Inner Sakura was cheering, "**Cha! True love conquers all!**"

As Ino was growling and trying to restrain herself from wringing the pink-haired girl's neck, a familiar voice drawled out next to her. "I don't get it," Shikamaru said. "What do you see in a guy like that? He's not so special."

Looking at him in exasperation, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "You are so beyond clueless, Shikamaru. Don't you get it?"

Glancing at her with a slightly jealous and annoyed look, he stated the obvious, "No, I don't get it because I'm not a girl."

Seeing the jealousy in his gaze and voice, Ino sighed. A small smirk pulled at her lips at the thought that Shikamaru would be jealous over Sasuke having her attentions than him. Like he thought that she was better off with him than the aloof and mysterious Uchiha.

"You are so full of yourself," she muttered, leaning her cheek into her palm. "Jealousy is a terrible thing. I'd hate to be on your team." It was at this time that Iruka's voice caught their attention again with the sounds of their names. "Team Ten: Yamanaka Ino…Nara Shikamaru…and Akimichi Choji"

Surprised and slightly anger at this revelation, Ino stared at Iruka. Next to her, Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle as he threw her words back at her. "Didn't you say something about 'hating to be on my team'?"

"Those are all the squads," their sensei said.

He'd been holding it since the declaration of Team Seven, only out of respect for the remaining teams that needed to be announced. Now that he was done, Naruto felt it was time to change his team or to at least get his questions answered. Clearing throat loudly, Iruka dismissed the class until after lunch. He watched as the members of the new Team Seven quickly exited the room, led by Sasuke with Sakura trailing him closely, followed by Naruto. Iruka couldn't help but think forlorn thoughts.

"Sasuke, where are you?" Sakura called out, in what she thought was a sweet and innocent voice. She felt a little hurt that he left as soon as they were dismissed. Didn't he want to spend time with her now, that they on the same team? Lunch together would've been a great starting point. Right? As these thoughts were going through her mind she heard a voice that she made her cringe. Oh, how she hated that dobe's very existence!

"Hey, Sakura?" he called cheerfully as he walked up to her. "I was thinking that since we're on the same team, we'd could have lunch together and get to know each other better." It was one thing to be followed; it was another that her follower had just mirrored her thoughts. The fact that it was Naruto who was following her had any kind of sweet notions she had turn sour instantly.

"Why would I have lunch with you?" she demanded accusingly. "How could that thought even cross your mind?"

If her tone had hurt his feelings, she didn't see it through his expert mask. The fact that she could only see his irritating face still in a smile tickled the anger she'd been harboring all morning.

"But we're in the same group and I just thought—"

"Naruto," she interrupted with a dangerous tone of voice and deadly glare. "You're annoying."

Glaring at him for only another moment, she turned and brought her hands up. Calling out in her 'sweet and innocent' voice again, she tried to adopt a similar look on her face. "Sasuke… Where are you?"

**Up on the rooftop**

"Alright," Ino said, in a foul mood. "If we're in the same team, then you've got to follow my lead. That's the only way it'll work."

Chewing absentmindedly on his rice ball, Shikamaru muttered out an annoyed acknowledgement. They sat together out on one of the balconies near the roof. It had a pretty good view of the village, which was why Shikamaru and Choji liked it so much. Ino had taken it upon herself to follow them and instill a 'leadership' role among team. Not that he'd raise a finger against her leadership as long as it wasn't a clear mistake. It was still going to be annoying as hell because the blonde was such a control-freak.

A small movement on the academy wall beneath them a fair ways drew his attention. If it weren't for the familiar blonde hair, he would've had a tough time identifying it as Naruto. Not when he wore a gray uniform similar to what Chunin and jonin wore.

"Sasuke" Shikamaru said quietly, identifying the blonde.

This statement drew Ino's attention. They watched as the raven haired boy snuck across the wall, silent as a shadow. He seemed to be heading for the open window where Naruto stood. Shikamaru had to admit to himself that if it weren't for his hair, he probably wouldn't have noticed him; especially with the clothes he wore seemed to blend into the academy wall.

The pair watched as Sasuke suddenly and silently hopped through the window, startling the blond. The movement jarred the window's support strut and it closed behind Sasuke. Their faintly heard Sasuke's warning growl and Naruto's 'pipe down!'

"Naruto," Ino said angrily. "If you so much as scratch him, you're on my 'enemy list' forever!"

Shikamaru spared her another exasperated glance as the sound of severe beating erupted from behind the closed window. They waited impatiently to see what happened. Then, almost as soon as it started, Sasuke opened the window and hopped out.

He smirked as he stood and walked away. Shikamaru was a little disappointed; he was sure that Naruto would've put up more of a fight. Especially when it seemed that he was training himself outside of school. Maybe he just wasn't as talented as Shikamaru gave him credit for?

"He beat Naruto without even breaking a sweat," he muttered to himself.

"What did you expect?" Ino asked. She was quite proud of her dear Sasuke. It slightly surprised Shikamaru that he'd spoken out loud without realizing it. "Naruto against my boy Sasuke… No contest."

As he continued to watch Sasuke walk away, he suddenly felt something out of place. Why would Sasuke walk away on the roof? Surely, he could've just taken the stairs, right? And where was Naruto? He knew that the blonde seemed more resilient than anyone else. So shouldn't he be up and around by now? That's when it struck him. The 'Sasuke' walking away on the roof wasn't really Sasuke! It was Naruto! A slight smirk crossed his face at this realization. So he hadn't underestimated the dobe after all.

**With Sasuke**

It had taken him surprisingly longer than he thought it would take. But he didn't finally get himself untied from the unbelievably tight knots that the dobe restrained him with. How could he possibly perform the Shadow clone while utilizing the Kawarimi and some other jutsu he'd never seen before? What was that strange technique he used? Just after Naruto had used the Kawarimi and the shadow clones were going to attack, all of the Naruto had formed the tora seal and blew out a dense cloud of smoke. It was then easy pickings for the blondes to tackle and tie him down.

Where did he learn such a strange jutsu? If the tora seal was required, then it must've been some fire jutsu. But the Uchiha clan specialized in fire jutsu and he'd realized he'd never seen a smokescreen used in the clan before it was destroyed. Did he create that jutsu? He just couldn't imagine him being able to do that. Yet there was no other explanation.

After confronting a badly blushing and rambling Sakura, he walked back to the classroom since the lunch break was close to being over. When a door was thrown open ahead of him, he saw the blonde boy rushing out, once again dressed in his orange jumpsuit.

Yelping in surprise, he skidded to a stop a few feet away from Sasuke. Crouching down, as if believing that Sasuke would suddenly attack, which he was seriously considering, the boy demanded, "Sasuke, what are you doing here? How did you get loose?"

"I used the escape jutsu," he said, smirking at the blonde's angry expression. He decided to provoke the boy's anger, since he decided to vent his own anger. "Nothing to it; it's a very basic technique, why did you do that, henge into me?"

"Oh that, I thought that after transforming into you I can get a date with Sakura" Naruto explained  
>"You know Hinata gives you more attention than Sakura, you should ask her out" replied Sasuke<br>"Yeah I know, but whenever I try to talk to her, she faints" replied Naruto  
>"That's because she likes you and plus the fact she is too shy" replied Sasuke<br>"Maybe I should try more and maybe it's time to get over Sakura" replied Naruto

"Good decision little brother, now mind explaining how you learned both jutsu that you used on me" asked Sasuke. With that Naruto began explaining him everything about that night and about the forbidden scroll.

"So tell me now, now when you know the truth, you still want to be friends, you still consider me your little brother" asked Naruto

"If I didn't want to be friends, I could have done it in the first conversation. And you are you not the kyuubi and my answer will always be yes" with that he poked his head.

**Back to the room – 1 hour later**

The first impressions went as smoothly as scraping sandpaper across butter. But thanks to each of the kids reactions to one another, he got a clear estimate on what they thought of one another.

"He's late," Naruto whined as the second hour passed. He had his head stuck out through the door, continuously glancing down the hallway impatiently. Sasuke and Sakura, though their pride would never although them to admit it, both were silently complaining and agreeing with the blonde.

"Naruto, just sit down," Sakura said, quite bored.

"I don't want to," he said, turning back inside the room. He looked towards Sasuke and spoke "Sasuke, do you have ninja wire on you"

He threw his ninja wire to the blond. His silent musings were cut short as Naruto grabbed an eraser and chair toward the doorway. Wedging the eraser between the door frame and the door, the blonde's chuckles sounded a tab bit like an evil crackle.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura demanded, moving closer for a better view.

"That's what he gets for coming late," Naruto announced proudly. Hopping off the chair, he let out a triumphant yell of "Surprise!" and quickly placed the chair back in its original spot.

"Hey are you playing a prank" he asked the blond and when the blond just nodded he continued "Then, let's make it a little bit of interesting" with that he went towards the door and laid two more dusters there and yelled "Now this should be more fun" and with that he placed a seal on the dusters and came down.

"Hey is that one of my paint seal" with that Sasuke nodded and he continued "Damn why didn't I forgot that, thanks for reminding me Sasuke

"You're asking for trouble," Sakura said, very much like a goody-goody. "You know you shouldn't do that." That's what she said to Naruto, but inside it was a totally different story. Her inner and aggressive side was cringing with anticipation. "**I LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS!**"

Though he really didn't care, Sasuke felt he should state the obvious to his oblivious teammate. "Our sensei is a jonin, an elite shinobi. Do you really think that he'll fall for that?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, agreeing with her crush instantly. "You're so clueless, Naruto."

**Two hour later**

"Where the hell is he?" Sakura complained, "What kind of Jonin shows up this freaking late for his team?" Sasuke just grunted in boredom at his desk while Naruto was sitting at the opposite end of the classroom by the open window, snickering and blushing while reading his favorite Icha-Icha Paradise book. Sakura turned and looked at Naruto with disgust as he read the sexually explicit orange book.

"The shy and timid Shinto priestess and the lonely honorable samurai," Naruto snickered, "Well, Hikari ain't so shy and timid, and Daisuke's not so lonely anymore."

"How can you read that garbage?" Sakura exclaimed, "Furthermore, how were you even able to get a hold of that book?" Naruto just ignored her because he was too engrossed in the story he was reading. Another perverted giggle escaped his mouth with the blush ever present on his face. "You know, Naruto, if Kakashi-sensei were to catch you reading that stuff he'd be ashamed," Sakura remarked. "He would keep you from reading that stuff while we're on missions and training."

"Speaking of training, Sakura," Naruto spoke with his head still in his book, "I believe that all of us should be properly taught all lessons we would need in life. Therefore, being the responsible teammate that I wish to be, I'm going to give you some instructions in what being with a man and being a woman involves. After all, we've been learning how to kill so it only makes sense that we learn about other serious matters, don't you think?"

"What are you getting at?" Sakura asked curiously.

He started reading some passage from his book, he failed to see the red face of Sakura, even Sasuke was a bit affected, but he didn't show it. Naruto was so engrossed in his storytelling that he failed to see Sakura's fist plunge into the back of his book, ultimately causing the book to nearly crash into his face as he as fell off his seat and dropped his book in the process.

"Damn it, Sakura, what the hell?" Naruto shouted indignantly, "We were just getting to the best part!"

"Naruto!" a blushing Sakura screeched, "You disgust me! It's beyond me how Hinata could date and stand the sight of you! Kakashi-sensei will weep when he sees that we have someone as perverted, senseless, and untalented as you for a teammate!"

"You shouldn't make quick judgments about people you don't know, girl," a masculine voice said from the door. Everyone turned to see the man of the hour, three late hours to be exact. At that moment, the door slid open and the eraser landed solidly on the clump of silver hair. There was a second of total silence as the four of them realized what had happened. Then, all hell broke loose.

The next instant Naruto's loud laughter erupted with a victory cheer. "I got him! He totally fell for it!"

"Sorry, sensei!" Sakura said trying to appear innocent and thoroughly embarrassed for him. "I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen. I'd never do something like that!" "**PERFECT SHOT**" Inner Sakura cheered, giving Naruto two thumbs-up. Even Sasuke was found himself questioning the man's ability.

Picking up the eraser, the man stared at it for moment before entering a thinking pose. Then, more to himself than the genin team, he said, "My first impression of this group you're a bunch of idiots."

"I'm assuming you're Kakashi," Sasuke said. "You're just arriving here, huh?"

"Actually," Kakashi corrected, "I was here for a while when I got caught up in Naruto's enchanting storytelling. It was saddening when his brilliant narrative was interrupted by someone who evidently doesn't appreciate good reading."

Sakura's mouth dropped with her eyes widened in absolute shock at what she was hearing. Naruto got up and picked up his book. "So, you like Icha-Icha Paradise?" Naruto asked with a mischievous smile as headed over and stood in front of Kakashi.

"No, Naruto I don't like Icha-Icha Paradise," Kakashi replied, then grinned beneath his mask and exclaimed, "I love Icha-Icha Paradise! Plus I happened to be a huge fan myself!"

"Me too" Naruto said excitedly, and then asked "Did you read "The Chronicles of The Missing Textiles Diaries" series?"

"Did I?" Kakashi asked with a blush and giggle, "I recently bought the whole limited edition collection. They're at my home now after they arrived by mail yesterday."

"No fair!" Naruto shouted, "You have any idea how hard I've been trying to get a hold of that series?"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto and Kakashi in sheer denial and disbelief. "**WHAT?**" Inner-Sakura screamed, "You mean to say that we have a sensei who is just as bad and perverted as Naruto. Some higher power must really hate Sasuke and me! This isn't fair! This can't be happening! This so can't be happening!"

Sasuke cleared his throat loudly catching everyone's attention. "It's bad enough that you're three hours late, Kakashi sensei" Sasuke remarked. "But after revealing that you have hobbies similar to Naruto's as well, I have a really good impression of you."

When he was about to move again, the duster burst into orange and blue paint. At this Naruto and Sasuke started laughing again yelling "We caught you again"

With that he said "Meet me on the roof top in 15 minutes" and then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke

"Maybe this Kakashi-sensei might not be so bad after all," Naruto smiled, "His hobbies being similar to mine earn him major pluses in my book."

"Just what we need," Sakura remarked. "A pervert like you for a sensei"

Naruto and Sasuke ignored her as they disappeared in flame of fire to where Kakashi told them to meet him. It wasn't until another five minutes that they arrived at their destination. When they arrived, they found Kakashi sitting on the stairs with one of the books of the series Naruto had spoken of. Sakura didn't understand what just happened and decided to take stairs.

**On the rooftop **

"Kakashi-sensei" Naruto called out, grabbing the Jonin's attention as his eye reluctantly moved away from the book. "You two made it here faster than I expected," Kakashi said, "All right then. Now take a seat on the stairs here."

After 15 minutes Sakura arrived and seeing Naruto and Sasuke, she sat beside them. "Now that we're all here," Kakashi said, "Let's get things rolling. First off, we'll start off by introducing ourselves to each other; tell us your name, hobbies, interests, dislikes, future long term goals, and all that good stuff."

"Can you give us a demonstration of that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"OK then," Kakashi shrugged, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes are none of your concern, as for my dream... never thought about that. I have many hobbies and one of my hobbies is reading Icha-Icha Paradise as you already know"

At that point all the genin were thinking the same thing 'He didn't tell us anything useful about himself'  
>'At least he likes Icha-Icha paradise, it can be used against him' thought Naruto<br>"Why don't you start Sasuke?" asked Kakashi

Sasuke started off with a calm and determined voice "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not dream because I will make it a reality. I am going to kill a certain someone and restore my clan"

'Sasuke is so hot' thought Sakura  
>"Cut the act" yelled Naruto<br>"Hey don't talk to Sasuke like that" yelled Sakura

"Very well" said Sasuke and continued with a friendly voice "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. My hobbies includes training, becoming stronger, and surpassing my limits and playing pranks with Naruto. I have many dislikes which also includes fan girls. I like spending time with Naruto and training. My goals include becoming a strong ninja, rebuilding my clan and kill a my elder brother Itachi"

"Well you can't do that unless you use those fan girls of yours" stated Naruto  
>"Don't talk to Sasuke like that" yelled Naruto<br>"Why? Don't you want that too" Naruto teased her and Sakura stopped speaking.

"Sakura you are next" said Kakashi

Sakura cleared her throat and started off, "I'm Sakura Haruno. My hobbies include studying, books…" she turns and looks at Sasuke, giggles and continues "…and hanging out with my friends. My interests are…" she turns and looks at Sasuke, giggles and continues "…and my long term goal includes" she turns and looks at Sasuke with a blush, giggles and continues

"And what are your dislikes?" Kakashi asked with a bored and lazy tone. "NARUTO" Sakura screamed loudly.

"Well, you're no breath of sunshine either," Naruto remarked.

Sakura was about to smack Naruto but Kakashi intervened. "No need for unnecessary violence, please," Kakashi said, then turned to Naruto and added, "Now Naruto, seeing as your name was screamed so passionately by Sakura, why don't you go next?" Sakura frowned and grumbled at the fact that Kakashi was already making fun of her.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze" Naruto started with a large grin but before he could continue, Sakura interjected "Don't lie, your name is just Naruto Uzumaki"

"Just shut up and let me finish my speech" yelled Naruto and hearing this Sakura flinched and Naruto continued

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze" Naruto started with a large grin "Besides eating ramen at Ichiraku, my favorite hobbies including training with Sasuke, spending time with old man third hokage and Konohamaru, spending time with old man Teuchi and Ayame, and pulling pranks with Sasuke. Also, my interests include reading Icha-Icha Paradise. My dislikes includes people who discriminate and prejudge me without knowing anything about me which includes most of the villagers, being blamed and looked down on for things that were never my fault and those who claim to be real ninjas but know nothing about what it really means and traitors. My long terms goals include becoming Hokage and to surpass my dad"

'Did he know' though Kakashi  
>"Don't lie Naruto, you are an orphan, you don't have parents" yelled Sakura<p>

Before Naruto could say anything Sasuke spoke "His parents died the day he was born, they died protecting the village from the kyuubi attack. He is the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze"

"Wait, I haven't heard their name, who were they?" asked Sakura  
>"My dad was a great ninja, he defeated the kyuubi" stated Naruto<p>

"Don't lie Naruto idiot, it was the fourth hokage that defeated the kyuubi not your… dad…" she trailed off as she saw the looks of her team mates and sensei and the she shouted "WHAT, YOU ARE THE SON OF THE FOURTH HOKAGE" Naruto simply nodded and Sakura was left processing everything but her thoughts were put on hold when Kakashi continued his speech.

"Now that we've got the introductions done," Kakashi said, "We'll move on to the next objective, which is the test I'll give you three tomorrow to see if you all are really ready for the ninja life."

"Test" Sakura asked, "What test? We already took the Genin Exams"

"The academy merely gave you a test to judge whether or not you all could perform the basic fundamentals of jutsu and other arts. My test will judge whether you three will meet the merit of being a team of ninjas. Meet me tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock at the training ground in front of the Konoha Memorial Stone. And don't eat anything before my test. You'll just puke it up. Till then, enjoy the rest of your day" With that said everybody left. Sakura asked Sasuke about lunch but he declined and Naruto and Sasuke went to do their training.


	8. Chapter 7 : Survival Test

**Chapter 7: Survival Test**

**Later that day **

"**Drip**" Naruto's feelings and nerves had come back to life, but he refused to open his eyes, he was lying in water. "**Drip**" what was that sound? It echoed as if he was in some kind of enclosed room or hallway, it felt strange, he could feel something, something heavy and thick, like the air was stale and hard. "**Drip**" There it was again, that sound, he wasn't in his apartment anymore "Drip" Slowly Naruto opened his eyes, snapping them open instantly as he sat up and looked around. He was in some kind of swear, a hallway with a number of walkways leading to other places. Naruto slowly got to his feet and started off down the hallway, looking around in case a threat would approach and he wasn't prepared.

He came to a dark tunnel and looked down it. What was different from these tunnels was the fact that he felt some enormous pressure coming from down this one. It felt heavy, like a fire was pressing down on you, making you want to take the closest weapon and end your life just to escape. Naruto just stood there looking down the hallway, he wasn't sure if he wanted to move or not, but he wanted to know, he needed to know what was down there, as if some instinct was telling him.

Slowly he started off down this tunnel and in no time, he entered a large room, so large it could almost be taller than the Hokage tower, if not several times bigger. In this room stood a large cage, and in the middle of this cage, a slip of paper was stuck to the middle of it, with the Kanji "Seal" written on it.

"Come closer" A voice said. A bead of cold sweat rolled down the back of Naruto's neck as he swallowed the fear and approached the cage, he had no idea what was on the other side, but if the size of the cage said anything to the young blonde, it was that whatever was on the other side was easily taller than a few buildings if not more.

After a few steps, Naruto stopped and refused to go any further, his common sense screaming at him to halt his position immediately and watch carefully. He focused on the cage and looked past it into the darkness. After a while his eyes widened as the largest fox he had even seen, lay on the other side with a bored expression on its face. The fox was eyeing the boy carefully, as if calculating the child's movements.

Naruto took notice of the large nine tails that seemed to have a mind of their own and wave about around the back of the large fox. Naruto felt all the confidence slip from his once standing position and fell backwards, landing on his behind and trying to crawl away without breaking eye contact with the fox.

Those eyes seemed to paralyze him to a point where the emotion of fear felt like it was going to take over and kill him itself. Naruto's mouth quivered as he felt hot tears rush to his eyes as he started to cry once more. The fox seemed to notice this and chuckle in almost an amused tone.

"Kurama, so we meet again. What do you want?" asked Naruto

"**Nice to meet you too, I was just clearing some facts… The villagers hate you because they think you are me. They think that me being sealed into you makes you me. It's common for villagers to misunderstand, but since you are also tormented by ninja, it's wrong and they should know better. Our situation is no different than a kunai and a scroll. If I am the kunai and you are the scroll, when the kunai gets sealed into the scroll, does that make the scroll a kunai? It's a simple matter of misunderstanding of how sealing works.**" Kurama explained to the child who was staring at his own reflection in the floor.

Naruto looked up at Kurama, staring him dead in the eyes, not even fearing the fox anymore, he felt so dead inside for some reason. He finally knew why he was hated by everyone; he was hated, ostracized, beaten, and hunted because of this fox being sealed inside of him. "But I'm not you… that are so unfair, how can they think I'm you and not Uzumaki Naruto! I'm me, not you, just as you are you and not me!" Naruto said trying to explain the situation to him. Kurama grumbled a little.

"**You are exactly right, but they fear what I did to their precious village. I'm not going to lie to you Naruto, I killed a lot of people when I attacked the village, and they villages fear me because what I can do, and fear spawns anger and anger spawns ignorance… it's just how you humans are.**" Kurama said. Naruto looked at Kurama with new found hate which Kurama shrugged off, he had received worse, but he would rather keep a nice good relationship with his new jailor if he was going to get him to agree to the proposition at the end of the story.

"Why the hell did you attack the village then!? Weren't you supposed to be sealed inside my mom? Why did you get out and attack the village!?" Naruto growled at the beast. Kurama had to admit, this kid was making progress in getting rid of fear, not ten minutes ago had he been quivering on the floor, almost pleading for mercy.

"**It was not a matter of what my agenda was with your village, it was a matter of someone else's stupid plot for revenge, from what I can tell. During pregnancy, a female Jinchuriki's seal is weakened to the point where it is possible for the Beast to escape from its host. I had a similar chance when you mother was giving birth to you, however your father was keeping the seal in place so it was rather hard to break free. At the time, I was filled with rage, anger, I wanted to destroy everything when I escape, and I wanted to kill everything I could find. When I did escape however, your mother had already given birth and the seal was rebuilding itself back to normal…However, I found that I was more or less forced out of your mothers seal and when I got out, I find my freedom is shortly lived as a man with a single red eye that hid behind an orange swirled mask. That eye reminded me of one man, a man called Uchiha Madara. Before I even realized what had happened, I was pulled into a Genjutsu and was force to do that mans every command**" He explained

"**I was then summoned to your village, and with no control over my body, I was commanded to lay waste to it, but luckily your father managed to sever that Genjutsu and my mind was returned to my control. However before I could make my escape, I was pinned down by leaf shinobi and eventually I found myself pinned down by your mother's famous chakra chains and before I even knew it, I was sealed into you**." Kurama explained. Naruto was trying to see if the Kurama was lying in anyway just to try and get good leeway with him, but the story seemed too connected and consistent to be made up, on the other hand, if he really was sealed into him at birth, he had seven years to come up with a decent excuse. However, Naruto was willing to give Kurama the benefit of the doubt, whether or not it would kill him later, he didn't care, his life was garbage anyway but that didn't mean he wouldn't give up on his dream to become Hokage!"**At first, I was in a rage; I couldn't believe I was sealed again! I tried to find every loop hole I could in this seal and claw my way out even if I killed you, at the time I couldn't care less for an insignificant child like you, I found myself to mighty and two powerful to be held down by a mere child**" Kurama chuckled as if it was a memory he was looking back on and laughing at how stupid he had been. Naruto just seemed to glare at the large fox for saying such harsh things about him.

"**But after a while I found none, and I resigned to my fate as yet again, I was sealed, with no way out. After a year or two, I started to think, I started to contemplate why it seems to be like this, why the greatest of Beast such as myself has to get captured and sealed into a human like some sort of monster, force to become a weapon for a village of shinobi. As the more I thought, the more I came to realize that my rage was clouding my judgment, all I thought about was killing, but it was then I realized just maybe why I was put into you. Maybe the old man sage was right and I was just being ignorant and foolish.**" Kurama said with a sigh, Naruto could tell that it was this part in the story that could explain why Kurama seemed so different to the stories he had heard.

"**I thought maybe I was meant to do something, maybe there is a purpose for me being here, just like with Kushina and Mito… maybe I was meant to help them in a way, the old man placed his trust in us to keep the peace in this land, but after a long time I turned bad, I felt rage, but now I feel like I did back then… I feel like I finally understand what old man sage was talking about… we Beast are meant to carry on his will to keep the peace, but we have not done that, we help wage war, even now we still do… and it was then that I had felt a great shame, a feeling so foreign to me that I had trouble understanding it at first… regret… I regret not helping Mito, I regret not helping your mother… maybe if I did, she would still be alive and you wouldn't have to have had such a lonely life. But now, I can change that, It seems the old sage has been watching over me and has given me another chance to make things right, to help bring peace to this world, and I believe I can help you achieve it Naruto.**" Kurama said with a slight wasn't sure what to make of this; he saw this as making friends with the Kurama, becoming friends with the nine tailed fox demon… was he really a demon? Well he admitted he was but he is saying he was changing.

Naruto weighed his odds. If the Kurama turned out to be lying and ends up trying to get out, he will die and the Kurama will be free to do whatever he wants but on the other hand, if Kurama was really telling the truth then Naruto might be able to succeed and become Hokage, and finally become recognized and acknowledged, and the idea of world peace with no fighting sounded like a great idea to. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto made up his mind as he looked up at the Kurama and smiled.

"Well, I can't really tell if you're lying or not, everything sounds very convincing. If you really just wanted to get out then I bet when I'm at my weakest you'll just take over me and rip yourself out of the seal and I'll die…" Naruto said but before he could continue, Kurama interrupted him.

"**If I was indeed lying to you so to speak, and when you're at your weakest decide to take advantage, if you die, I die as well. That's how this seal works. Your father, he was truly a seal master, so if I take over your body by force and kill you, I'll die as well.**" Kurama explained. Naruto seemed to tilt his head to the side, not understanding the names of the seals placed on him. They must have been powerful seals for it to keep something as powerful as the Kurama inside of him.

"Alright… I see, well I guess I really have nothing to lose then. I guess this makes us friends right?" Naruto asked hopefully. Kurama would be one of the very small amounts of friends he actually had. In fact he would go as far as saying Kurama was family since his mother had him sealed inside of her.

Naruto smiled, he knew what he wanted to pick, he wanted someone close to him, someone he could count on when he was down, someone who could in courage him to beat his enemies, and the way Kurama had been talking to him tonight, he was glad he had chosen the former.

"**Listen carefully because I will only say this once, this seal is designed in a way to give you a way to access my chakra, your dad did it on a purpose, he wanted you to use my chakra. At times, I will allow you to use my chakra, but currently I can give you only a percent of my original. It's not because I don't want you to use it, it's because you are not ready for that.**" Kurama said as he made a fist. Naruto saw a fist made by Kurama that was held just outside of the cage. Naruto looked confused and looked to Kurama to explain his actions.

"**This is the first step to our bond. Bump fists and I'll open a chakra network between us. After that, I will be able to give you chakra at will. But to use my chakra to full extent, you have to learn to separate my chakra with my 'will' and then learn to control it. As you have noticed my chakra has an advanced healing factor, you can also give my chakra to your comrade to heal him, and also to replenish him. All you have to do is to made contact with him and send some of my chakra through his body, after that I can control the amount of chakra suitable for him. Remember this, not everyone can control my chakra, because it is bound by mass of hatred, if you wish to control my chakra to its half extent, then you have to defeat you hatred, after you have done that, you can transfer my chakra to others by merging it with your own. Now rest of the talks for later, bump fist with me**" Kurama said

Naruto simple bump fist and then felt the amount of chakra entering his body. "T-This is amazing… I feel like I could take on old man hokage and come out on top! I feel like I can do anything!" Naruto said with excitement and pretended to spar with the air around him. Kurama watched with mild amusement as the boy jumped around the outside of the cage like a child on some sort of sugar high.

"**Well, you certainly rival a Kage in terms of the amount of chakra reserves you have, but in terms of actual skills… you're actually the same as before unless you actually know how to control your chakra. Don't think that using my chakra you suddenly gain the skill and power of a Shinobi, you will still need to train to become powerful**" Kurama said as Naruto stopped and looked down in disappointment. Kurama growled at the quick change of attitude.

**Later – Hokage Tower**

"Hey old man, I need to talk to you in private, place a sound seal and ask you ANBU to leave, this is serious" said Naruto. The hokage simply nodded and placed a barrier seal and sent his ANBU out. "I would like you to know the truth about what actually happened that night, Kurama's side of the story, so I'm going to have to ask you to remain calm because I'm going to switch with Kurama and let him explain to you what really happened that night of the attack." Naruto said.

Hiruzen's eyes widened to the point where they were going to pop out of his head. Before he could protest, Naruto closed his eyes. He knew it was too late as he felt Naruto's chakra change to that of the Kurama. Thanks to the privacy seals he put up, they also were fixed with chakra suppressers so no one could sense the Kurama in here. Good thing too, this room would be filled with ANBU at the even slightest bit of the Nine Tails Chakra. When Naruto opened his eyes again, Sarutobi no longer saw the childish blue eyes Naruto once had, they were now blood red with a slit down the middle, giving off a feral feeling. Sarutobi instinctively held a kunai under is desk in his best hand, in case the monster attacked, though he would have to be careful, he wouldn't want to harm Naruto's body.

"**Greetings Third Hokage, it's been awhile hasn't it?**" The Kurama said in Naruto's possessed body, the voice had completely changed; it was that of the Kurama not Naruto. Hiruzen scowled as he gazed into those blood red eyes, bringing him fresh destructive memories of that very night seven years ago.

"Kyuubi…" Hiruzen frowned as he looked back at the young blonde possessed body. Such cold red blood thirsty eyes, calculating his every move, predicting his every thought, I was agonizing just sitting there in the Hokage chair, but he promised Naruto he would hear what the Kurama had to say. This morning seemed to be getting stranger and stranger by the second!

"**Naruto has allowed me to talk to you and explain to you what really happened on that night, details that were missed that you should know.**" Kurama started as Hiruzen sat in his chair, listening intently and tense, ready for any attack if the Kurama tried something. He never would have thought in a million years that this morning he would be having a chat with the Kurama himself.

"Very well, let's hear your side of the story, but by no means does it mean that I will believe even a word you say." Sarutobi said, choosing his words carefully. Kurama simply nodded and began his explanation. Throughout the explanation, Sarutobi was shocked to say the least to find out that the Kurama was controlled, forcefully ripped from Kushina's seal and forced to attack the Leaf village. As the Kurama kept explaining, it made more and more sense to Sarutobi. Kushina's seal wouldn't fail so easily, not with Minato, a seal master, more talented and better if not equal to his own student Jiraiya of the Sannin, a well-known seal master all over the elemental nations. The only possible conclusion was that they were attacked on the night of the birth by someone who had a grudge against Konoha, but who?

"**The only person who has every managed to control me like that… is none other than Uchiha Madara, no one else can do it.**" Kurama said with a grim voice. Sarutobi couldn't believe what he was hearing. The legendary Uchiha Madara was trying to destroy the Leaf again? But that man was supposed to be dead by now, at least by old age… could he have found a way to make himself immortal?

"**I don't care if you believe me or not, but as soon as I was free from Kushina's seal, before I even knew it, I was looking into a Sharingan eye and lost control of my actions. Next thing I know, I'm in the Leaf village with destroyed buildings all around me and shinobi attacking me from all angles.**" Kurama said. He also went on to explain why he and Naruto were on such good terms as of right now. He told the hokage that after his sealing into Naruto by the fourth hokage, he began to contemplate his existence and eventually he let his hate and rage subside and made a decision to help Naruto become the best he can be. Hiruzen was not so easily swayed and didn't believe him for a second but the fox didn't care.

"**Listen, I've opened up a link with Naruto so that he will be able to use ten percent of my power whenever he needs to, I will also be teaching him how to control it to make sure he doesn't destroy his body by overloading his chakra coils with my added chakra. I don't need to promise any of you anything because I know you don't trust me, but Naruto trusts me and that's all I care about.**" And with that, Kurama retreated back into the mind of Naruto, returning the young blonde boy to control.

Naruto opened his eyes once more, his sea blue eyes back to normal. Sarutobi let out a breath and relaxed back in his seat, he could not say he was happy but at least Naruto was okay. "I take it he told you everything you needed to know?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen sighed as he looked back at Naruto, glad the eyes of the young boy he knew and loved were back to normal.

"Do you trust Kurama, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked, studying the boy's facial reaction. Naruto smiled and looked down at the floor.

"He is among a few to offer his friendship to me, something no one else has done. I'll trust him with my life, and if he's lying, well I really have nothing to lose. My dad put faith in me to seal the Kurama inside of me, I will honor that and use all my power to protect the people that are precious to me, and that includes you too old man!" Naruto grinned. Sarutobi couldn't help but grin to. That boy had a heart of gold, and he knew that he was in for an interesting few years.

"Anyway old man, I've gotta go," Naruto said waving as he made his way to the door. Before he could open it, Hiruzen called out to the boy.

'Just like Minato and Kushina… always eager to improve, I hope you two are watching, because you are in for a real show.' He thought to himself.

**The next day – Training Ground 7 – 6 A.M**

It was not even morning when the trio arrived. The sun was about to rise and the trio were hungry because they didn't eat lunch. Their sensei was late again so they slept then and there.

**3 hour later**

"Morning everyone, ready for your fist day" came the voice of their sensei  
>"You are late" yelled Sakura<br>"Good Morning sensei" greeted both the boys while taking yawn

'Well that is unexpected' thought Kakashi, then he spoke "You see a cat crossed my way, so I have to take a long way from there, then I helped an old lady carry some things and then I helped some kids to retrieve their cat from trees" spoke Kakashi

"Did you complete your book" asked Naruto  
>"Yes" spoke Kakashi, then he realized that he had been tricked<br>"So you were just reading your book, which I assume you will give me later to make up for the lost time and you must have a new book with you in your pouch, am I correct?" asked Naruto

"Very well and you are correct" spoke Kakashi, then he picked out an alarm clock and set it for noon and placed it on a wooden stump and then picked out two bells and spoke "To pass the test, you have to get these bells from me before noon. If you don't get a bell, you will be tied to the stump there and I will eat your lunch in front of you"

'That's why he told us not to eat breakfast' thought Sakura.  
>"But sensei, there is only two bell" questioned Sakura<p>

"Yes, and each of have to get one bell to pass, it means that one of you will fail. To get those bells you have to come at me with intent to kill, you can use any weapons including shuriken" replied Kakashi

"But sensei, if we come at you with intent to kill, then we can actually kill you" replied Sakura  
>"Don't worry Sakura, the worst case scenario would be he would end up in a hospital nothing more" replied Naruto<p>

But before anything could happen or anyone could say, Naruto and Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke and 5 minutes later they appeared in a swirl of flames. At this point both Kakashi and Sakura were thinking the same thing, what was happening, one minute they were here and then thee other they disappeared and then reappeared. Kakashi knew they used shunshin but an elemental version, and why did they disappear?

"Where were you two?" asked Kakashi

"We knew you were going to be late, so we sent our shadow clones here while we took bath, prepare our bags, have a little spar and finally eat breakfast and don't worry about explaining everything because we get the memories of our clone, when they are expelled" replied Naruto and Sasuke just nodded

'I knew that Naruto learned the shadow clone, but he also taught Sasuke that' though Kakashi  
>'What are they talking about and what about memories and shadow clone' thought Sakura<p>

"I thought I told you to not eat breakfast" asked Kakashi

"You advised us to not eat breakfast but you didn't command us. It was up to us if want to take your advice or not and we decided we shouldn't take your advice" replied Naruto

"Don't include me, it was your idea" replied Sasuke  
>"Fine, it was my idea and I forced Sasuke into it" replied the blond<br>"Fair" replied Kakashi  
>"WHAT" screamed Sakura<p>

"It was a part of you test, I tricked you and you fell, while both of them did not. If you have spent time with your team, then they would have told you also, this shows you have no sense of teamwork" replied Kakashi. "Get ready and start" said Kakashi and with that the trio runs off towards tree to hide them.

**With Sasuke**

Sasuke was hiding in a tree; he was concentrating on Kakashi who was currently reading a book. "Hey Sasuke, do you know who that guy is" hearing this Sasuke simply shook his head giving him 'no' as his answer, Naruto threw three books towards him which had pages marked. Sasuke started reading it and his eyes widened. "Yes, he has a sharingan and he hasn't passed a single team till know and what's more is that, he is my father's student"

"What are you getting at?" asked Sasuke

"He abandoned me, he is my father's student, so in a way he is like my older brother but instead of looking after me, he abandoned me and he is going to pay for it. Sasuke do not interfere I have to settle some things" replied the angry blond

"What about the test?" asked Sasuke?

"Don't you get it, the test is about team work, and Kakashi sensei already explained it when he was giving his teamwork speech to Sakura. The bells, the lunch, everything is a distraction to hide the real purpose of the test. Let me settle things with him, then we will show him our team work and we will also get the bells" replied Naruto and with that said he disappeared.

**With Kakashi**

"You and me, right now fair and square, let's go Kakashi sensei" Spoke Naruto  
>"You know, you are a bit of weird" replied Kakashi, still looking into his book<br>"The only weird thing is you hair style" replied the blond

With that said they engaged in a taijutsu match. Naruto was giving him a good fight, he haven't though that a genin could fight him like this. Naruto had an upper hand during the fight because Kakashi was holding a book, so in order to make things right, he kept the book back in his pouch. The fight was going as a draw; no one was able to land a hit on the other. It was true that Kakashi wasn't going all out but it was also the same for Naruto.

Kakashi, in order to get an upper hand, appeared behind Naruto in a sitting position and spoke "Never let you enemies behind you" with that said, he formed a tiger seal.

'That is a tiger seal, he is really going to use a fire jutsu on him from behind, maybe I should go, but Naruto said not to interfere, what should I do?' thought Sasuke

'He is going to crush Naruto' thought Sakura

"**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years Of Death**" with that said he focused chakra onto his fingertips and poked him in the butt, but only to find out that it was clone as it soon disappeared in a puff of smoke, while the original Naruto was behind him in a sitting position and spoke "Thanks for the advice Kakashi sensei and thanks for the new jutsu" with that said he did the same to Kakashi "**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years Of Death**" with that said he focused chakra onto his fingertips and poked him in the butt.

'Nice work Naruto' thought Sasuke  
>'When did he get so good' thought Sakura<p>

Kakashi went flying from there towards the lake only to land on the water. Naruto jumped behind him standing on the water surface and did some hand signs and shouted "**Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu**" and a large fireball, larger than he had ever seen went straight towards him.

Kakashi dodged the fireball and spoke "I said to attack me with intent to kill, but I didn't thought you will go this far, what have I ever done to you"

"That's the point; you haven't done anything for me" Naruto replied in an angry voice and continued "So what about we take it up to a notch, why don't you reveal your sharingan sensei"

"Very well" with that, he revealed his sharingan and spoke again "It would be only fair if you reveal your sharingan too Naruto"

Naruto dropped his fighting stance and spoke "How do you know about my sharingan, it is an S-class secret that only me, Sasuke, old man hokage and few ANBU's known"

"You don't remember me; think again, what you remember after seeing me. Maybe you should sense my chakra" replied Kakashi

"Wait, if you put it that way, then you hairstyle and chakra feels familiar, you are Inu" replied Naruto

"Yes Naruto, I am Inu and I never abandoned you, if you are thinking that, I was always there looking for you, but from the shadows. And I am sorry I never told you about myself but that was the rules and regulations of being ANBU" replied Kakashi

"Very well, you are off the hook this time" with that said he started going in the other direction

"Where are you going? Don't you want to get the bell to pass?" asked Kakashi

"I do want the bells to pass, but this test is about teamwork not the bells, it was merely a distraction to hide the true purpose of the test, I am going to get my team, I told them not to interfere because I have things to settle with you" with that said, he disappeared.

When he disappeared, a lady with red eye came to Kakashi and spoke "Kakashi can you give me some advice to how to take a test"

"Nice trick Naruto but I am not going to fall for that, I know that you are Naruto and not Kurenai" spoke Kakashi  
>"What are you talking about Kakashi" 'Kurenai' asked<p>

Without any word he went and touched 'Kurenai's' boobs, only to find out that it was real and not an illusion. He paled at the thought 'Is this really Kurenai'

'Kurenai' looked at him and yelled "Kakashi I am going to kill you" hearing this Kakashi fainted. 'Kurenai' burst into puff of smoke and Naruto came to view "He fell for that" laughed Naruto. He picked up the bells and his book and placed the fake material with the help of shadow clone.

**With Sasuke and Sakura**

"Where the hell is he?" asked Sakura  
>"He should be coming soon" replied Sasuke<br>"I am here" replied Naruto sitting behind them  
>"So how did it go?" asked Sasuke<br>"He is Inu, he didn't abandon me" replied Naruto

"What are you two talking about" asked Sakura  
>"I'll tell you later, first we have to pass" replied Naruto<br>"So how do we do it" asked Sakura  
>"We just have to show him our team work, leave the rest to me" replied Naruto<br>"Then what are we waiting for lets go" replied Sasuke

"Wait for him to wake up" replied Naruto  
>"What did you do to him" asked Sasuke<br>"Don't worry, he is alright, he just fainted" replied Naruto  
>"HOW?" asked Sasuke<br>"I will tell Later" replied Naruto

"Let's go, he is up" replied Naruto  
>"How do you know?" asked Sakura<p>

"He is a sensor, he can do many things" replied Sasuke. With that said they went on to attack Kakashi and show him their team work.

**With Kakashi**

'What just happened? Was it a dream? Or was it a reality?' thought Kakashi. He immediately checked the bells 'The bells are there, I guess it was a dream or Kurenai will beat the crap out of me later'

The trio arrived there and started attacking their sensei, Naruto was busy doing taijutsu while Sasuke assisted him in between and Sakura was behind them as a backup with shuriken and kunai in her hands. Naruto gave a signal and then they both went to a distance. Naruto made a seal and thousands of clones appeared in the area.

'So the story was true after all, he really did create thousands of shadow clone and was able to move, but seeing it from my own eyes, he has more chakra than the hokage himself' thought Kakashi, but before he could attack, the clones yelled "**Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu**" and the whole area was covered with fireball's.

When the smoke cleared there was a burned log and nothing else, Naruto quickly realized that he used substitution and he yelled "WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A LOG?"

Kakashi appeared between the trio to engage in a taijutsu match again but to his disappointment the bell rang. "Well it seems you three fail" Kakashi spoke

But before he could say another word, Naruto interfered "No sensei, we pass" with that said he picked out the bells from his pouch and showed it to everyone

'How' thought Sakura  
>'Show Off' thought Sasuke<br>'When' thought Kakashi

Kakashi went to check his bells and he found it there as he kept, he held those in his hands and showed Naruto waiting for an answer. Naruto made a single hand seals and they burst into puff of smoke and then he began explaining what he did.

"But there are two bells and three of you, who will you give the bell?" asked Kakashi

"Sensei didn't I already told you that the true meaning of the test was team work, but if you insist then" he threw one bell to Sasuke and one to Sakura

"What if you are wrong and I fail you?" asked Kakashi

"Well, first thing, there is no team in konoha with 2 genin and one jonin, even in the ANBU there is a four man squad and second, my dream can wait for a year and third" he picked out the book he stole from Kakashi "I stole this when I switch the bells and if you fail me, then I'll burn the book" he stated

Kakashi was loss of words and spoke "Ok you three pass, now Naruto pass me the book" and with that Naruto passed the book to his sensei. "Ok from now on, you are officially team 7, from tomorrow, we will start doing missions" stated Kakashi

"Sensei, can we ask you a question" asked Naruto  
>"What is it, Naruto" asked Kakashi<br>"How did you get your sharingan?" asked Naruto  
>"It was a gift from an old friend" replied Kakashi<p>

"My team was on a mission and Rin got kidnapped, Obito and I fought about rescuing her. I was against rescuing her and I wanted to complete the mission at any cost while Obito wanted to rescue her" stated Kakashi

**Flashback**

"Those who abandon their mission are trash" stated Kakashi  
>"And those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash" added Obito<p>

With that said, they both went opposite way.

**End of flashback**

"After thinking again, I decided to help him so I went there. When I got there, we both ended up in a fight in which he awakened his sharingan and I lost my left eye. After defeating the stone ninja, we went to rescue Rin" stated Kakashi

**Flashback**

In a large cavern, Kakashi Hatake stands between three stone ninja and his teammates, breathing hard and unable to see with his left eye. The Stone ninja start making hand signs; he's unable to hear the name over the sound of the earth ripping apart. Boulders start falling from the ceiling and the enemy ninja run from the cavern. The boulders are falling all around Kakashi as he tries to get to his teammates.

Obito stood next to Rin as he watch Kakashi dodge boulder after boulder. He looked at the ceiling and saw which was going to fall next and knew that his Sharingan had finally activated. He also knew where it was going to fall and saw that Kakashi wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. He ran forward and threw Kakashi out from under the falling rock, but was caught under it himself.

The sickening cracking sound rang out in the now still cavern. "Obito" Rin and Kakashi came running up to him. The right side of his body was smashed under the boulder. "Why did you do it?"

Obito tried to smile. "I told you Kakashi, being on a team means looking out for each other." Blood ran out the side of his mouth. "Rin, I want you to implant my Sharingan into Kakashi's left eye socket."

"I won't let you." Replied Kakashi

"Shut up and be grateful Kakashi, it will take care of that tunnel vision problem you got with **Chidori**. Think of it as a gift for becoming a jonin. At least I put it to good use first." Replied Obito

"Do it Rin." Rin was crying as she removed his eye and replaced Kakashi's useless one. "They will pay for this Obito, I swear it." Kakashi yelled

"I don't care about them, make sure Rin stays safe, that's all I want." Obito said "Rin, you need to get going, more will show up soon."

"I can't leave you here!" Rin said  
>"The other Sharingan is gone; no matter what they try they won't get it." Said Obito<p>

"I don't give a rat's ass about that. I love you, and I won't leave you here." Said Rin  
>"You don't have a choice; this boulder isn't going to move. Could you give me two explosive tags?" asked Obito<br>"What are you going to do?" asked Rin

"Take as many of them with me as I can. It should also make a big enough distraction for the two of you to get away." Replied Obito

She placed two in his hand and kissed him, ignoring the blood. "I love you Obito."

"I love you too, now go before anymore show up." He hears her leave and hoped she wouldn't come back. He placed the tags one on top of the other, and waited.

He heard what sounded like people running. "Who could have done this? Go check the girl!"

The running resumed and stopped near him. "We got a live one, he's from Leaf and his eye's gone. One of our ninja must have got him, he'll be dead soon."

Obito smirked. "So will you. Boom" The explosive tags started to glow and the explosion engulfed the whole cavern, killing the Stone ninja and finishing off Obito.

An explosion shook the earth, making Kakashi and Rin stop. "What the hell was that?"  
>"Obito" Rin eyes welled up with tears and the pain was obvious on her face.<p>

"Let's keep going, we need to report to sensei." Rin nodded and followed Kakashi away from where her lover had sacrificed himself. They moved through the treetops quickly and quietly, moving toward the leaf base.

**End of flashback**

"After that, I killed all the stone ninjas and earned my name 'Kakashi of the sharingan' and then later 'Copycat Kakashi'" replied Kakashi

"Ok, if you want, we can give a pair of sharingan instead of just one, sharingan's true power can only be achieved with both eyes" asked Naruto knowing that Sasuke won't say no

"Thanks for the generous offer, but my answer will be no, you see it was a gift from my team mate and also I am kind of emotional towards it" replied Kakashi

"Very well" he spoke and disappeared with Sasuke and Sakura

**Hokage Office**

There was a knock on the door, hearing that the hokage spoke "Come in" and with that Kakashi Hatake came in. He saw Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi were also there, he quickly realized that it was about the teams.

He spoke "I Kakashi Hatake, jonin leader of team 7 announce that my team passed"  
>"So you actually passed them" Kurenai spoke<br>"Yes Kurenai, they were able to get the bells from me and they also showed team work and finally they forced me to passed them" spoke Kakashi  
>"Care to explain how that happened" asked Asuma<br>"Very well" with that he began explaining the situation from the very start to the end leaving the part about Naruto's henge.

"So Naruto did all that" spoke Kurenai  
>"Unbelievable" spoke Asuma<br>"Not only that but he learned shadow clone an hour" spoke the hokage

"But, he was the dead last of the class" spoke Asuma  
>"It's because he chose to, he wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke" replied the hokage<br>"And to think he managed to reveal my sharingan without going all out" spoke Kakashi catching everyone's attention

"What are you talking about Kakashi?" asked Kurenai  
>"Should we tell them" Kakashi asked the hokage.<p>

When the hokage nodded, he began to tell them about the sharingan and everything stating that they were jonin level with their sharingan and finally reaching the climax, telling them about the scroll and how much he learned and then telling them about what he wrote on the scroll.

"Unbelievable" spoke Asuma and Kurenai in unison  
>"I Kurenai Yuhi, jonin leader of team 8 announce that my team passed"<br>"I Asuma Sarutobi, jonin leader of team 10 announce that my team passed"

**1 Month Later**

"The target has moved, what's your position from the target?" asked Kakashi  
>"5 meters, I am ready, just give me the signal" replied Naruto<br>"I am ready to" replied Sasuke  
>"So am I" replied Sakura<br>"Wait…Now" replied Kakashi

With that they all jumped towards the target. After a moment Naruto yelled "I got the target"

"Can you confirm" asked Kakashi  
>"Yes, red ribbon on the left ear" replied Naruto<br>"Capture the tora, mission complete" replied Kakashi  
>"Can't you get a better mission, I have this cat" yelled Naruto<p>

**Hokage Office**

"Team 7," Hiruzen said, "you completed your mission to bring back the daimyo's wife's cat Tora rather quickly. Well done."

"Save your thanks," Naruto spat, "I'd rather it be a failed mission with the cat impaled with one of my kunai than be forced to chase after it again!"

"Naruto," Iruka scolded, "show proper respect to our Hokage!"

"Don't worry, Iruka," Hiruzen assured. "There hasn't been one team that took pleasure in retrieving that cat after it ran away."

"So this isn't the first time that cat run away," Sasuke acknowledged.

"No," Hiruzen confirmed, "To be honest, I lost count how many times it ran away from its owner."

"Not hard to see why it'd run away after seeing how that woman was hugging and squeezing it nearly to death," Naruto remarked.

"Okay team 7, for your next mission, we have…paint the fences…pull the weeds…babysit a newborn…" the hokage was about to say more when tora ran away again and he spoke "and capture the tora"

Naruto was on a boiling point and yelled "We take capture the tora" all of them sweat dropped at his statement but before anyone could resist, he did some hand sings and yelled "**Summoning Jutsu**" and there was tora on the floor and everyone's jaw fell on the ground.

'Why didn't I thought of this' the hokage thought and spoke "Nice work Naruto"  
>"Kakashi sensei, what just happened? What did Naruto do?" asked Sakura<br>"He place a summoning tattoo on tora and summoned him" replied Kakashi  
>"When did he learn something like this" asked Sakura<br>"He learned when Iruka sensei was giving his boring lecture" stated Sasuke

"What? He learned that in my class" yelled Iruka  
>"Yes, what did you thought sensei that I was paying attention" replied Naruto<br>"Naruto, you made a new record for completing this mission" said the hokage  
>"Oh yeah, I know I am awesome, believe it" replied Naruto<p>

"Hey old man, I completed this mission, now give me a real mission, I don't want to these chores any more, they do not build our ability, I want a real mission" yelled Naruto

"Well then," Hiruzen continued, "We still have time to assign you guys to another mission. Kyoutaro's restaurant is having a-"

"Enough!" Naruto interjected angrily. "Enough of these ridiculous chores you people call "missions"!"

"Naruto" Iruka cut in. "Know your place and address the Hokage with proper respect!" Naruto ignored Iruka and continued, "For the last two months, we've been doing nothing but be these useless chores that our clients are too lazy to do themselves! I'm sick of wasting my time with these worthless D-rank tasks! I want a real mission! Not gardening, babysitting, carrying groceries, or any other mediocre tasks! None of these so-called missions have given us the chance to test our ninja training and show what we can truly do or where we stand in the shinobi world!"

Sasuke spoke up, "I'm with Naruto. I too have grown weary of these D-rank missions, and I for one would like to have a mission that truly challenges our skills and abilities."

"You guys have only graduated from the academy a little more than two months ago!" Iruka argued, "You're not ready for the advanced types of missions yet!"

"And when will we be?" Naruto asked. "When we're at war or something? These D-ranks do nothing to sharpen our talents as ninjas!"

"Naruto," Hiruzen said patiently, "these D-rank missions do serve a purpose, believe it or not. They're designed to strengthen teamwork dynamics and plan formations. And since you seek to become Hokage, you must cultivate an intense love for the village and view everything about it as precious and worth taking care of, as a father nurtures and takes care of his children. When it comes to raising, caring for, and protecting his children, no task is too tedious, too small, or too great for the father."

"That's a touching speech, old man" Naruto remarked offhandedly. "Now give us a real mission!"

Hiruzen took a breath to control him, seeing how Naruto disrespectfully brushed his words off. It amazed everyone else in the room leaving Sasuke how Naruto was still standing without the Hokage suddenly upon him ready to strike him down and to remind him of his place. Then again, Naruto took out the Hokage before, twice in fact.

"Forgive Naruto's behavior, Lord Hokage" Kakashi said. "I'll be sure to have a word with-"

Hiruzen raised his hand to cut Kakashi off. "Based on the progress your Genin team has made," Hiruzen said. "I'll give them a different mission to further improve their expertise. Kakashi, I will assign your team a C-rank mission. You'll be going to Land of Waves to escort an elderly man home and also to protect him from bandits and the like as he builds his bridge."

"Lord Hokage," Iruka said, "do you think they're ready for such a mission?"

"Don't underestimate us, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said. "We're stronger than others believe us to be. Isn't that right?" Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled," Kakashi said. "My team accepts the mission."

Hiruzen nodded to the secretary to bring in the client. A moment later, the secretary returned back into the office with their partially drunk client.

"Tazuna," Hiruzen said, "these four will be your escort to Land of Waves." The man turned and looked at the group in front of him.

"You got to be kidding me! (Hiccup) I asked for a skilled ninja escort, and all I get is a team filled with children who just hit puberty and a spiky-haired Cyclops? (Hiccup)" said Tazuna.

Naruto and the other Genin looked less than happy upon seeing what kind of client they had to put up with. Tazuna went to drink from his bottle when "My team and I are capable of completing the task, Tazuna," Kakashi said. "After all, this is just a basic escort mission, so please refrain from underestimating us or our abilities."

"Team 7," Hiruzen said, "you are to meet at the East Gate at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow to head out for Land of Waves with Tazuna. Use this time to make all of your preparations. Till then, you're all dismissed."

Everyone left the office and went about their business. "Our first C-rank mission," Sakura said, "I wonder what we're going to run into along the way."

"We'll only know if we see the mission through," Sasuke remarked, "You're not thinking of chickening out, are you?"

"No, no," Sakura said quickly, not wanting any form of disapproval from Sasuke. "I'm just surprised that we actually got a C-rank mission after so many D-rank ones."

"It's thanks to me we got one," Naruto said. "Otherwise, we'd be doing dishes again for hours at that same restaurant like last time."

"Don't remind us," Sasuke replied.

**The Next Morning**

Team 7, geared up with supplies and equipment, was ready and waiting at the East Gate. Kakashi appeared with their client at 8 o'clock on the dot.

"You're on time for once," Sakura remarked.

"I know I'm tardy for team training," Kakashi said, "But missions outside Konoha's walls assigned by the Hokage take higher priority."

"So we see," Sasuke replied wryly.

"Well," Kakashi said. "Now that we're all here, we'll leave now and start our trek to Land of Waves"

The Genin of Team 7 formed a protective circle around Tazuna while Kakashi took the lead in the front as they started on their journey from Konoha to Land of Waves


	9. Chapter 8 : Land Of Waves

**Chapter 8: Land Of Waves**

**Outside the village – On the way to land of waves**

So far, things had been calm, and no trouble had arisen for the team. Naruto was continuing his pace at the front of the group until he noticed that there was a small puddle of water. Kakashi also took note of that peculiar puddle of water that was a few feet from them.

'A puddle of water out here' Naruto and Kakashi thought. 'It's summertime now, and no rain has fallen for days'

Naruto and Kakashi turned back around and continued on their way. As they did, the puddle they just passed morphed into two ninja. They wore black clothes, and each sported a single huge metal gauntlet, equipped with massive claws covered with poison. They were connected by a sharp-looking chain that extended from one gauntlet to the other. They jumped towards the group and wrapped their chain around Kakashi, who, of course, was behind everyone, making him the easiest to attack.

"First one," the two ninja said as Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna turned around to see Kakashi torn to pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei" Sakura cried out as Kakashi's body parts rained down from the air and onto the ground in a cloud of smoke.

'Taking out the team leader first' Naruto thought as he and Sasuke placed their guard up in front of Tazuna when the ninja turned their attention toward them.

"Second one," one of the two killers said as they rushed at Sakura with their chain in hand, ready to do what they did to Kakashi once again. That was until Sasuke jumped into the air and pulled out a shuriken and a kunai. He threw the shuriken at the chain. The shuriken brought the chain to a nearby tree, and Sasuke threw the kunai, lodging the chain into the tree. The two attackers tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge.

"It won't come out," one of them said as Sasuke landed down on their gauntlets. Grabbing their weapons, he kicked them both in their faces before they detached the chain and dashed away from each other. One went after Sakura, who now had her kunai out in front of her, while the other went for Tazuna, who was being guarded by Naruto.

Sasuke moved speedily to intercept the Mist Nin going for Sakura, getting ready to stop him. Neither of the Mist Nin's managed to reach their intended targets, however, when two shadow clones of Naruto suddenly appeared and knocked the two in their jaws with their feet. The two killers were flipped backwards, and, as they flew, the two clones exploded on them, burning them partially as they were sent flying further into the nearby trees before crashing hard into them, causing them to fall to the ground. They two ninja were in too much pain to move.

"Nice job everyone," Kakashi smiled underneath his mask as he appeared from the bushes. "You three made effective use of your teamwork before Naruto delivered the finishing blow."

"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!" Sakura said happily, relieved that Kakashi wasn't dead.

"Is it that obvious?" Kakashi remarked while Sasuke looked at him with a mixed expression of amazement and curiosity. That was when he and the others looked to see pieces of chopped logs lying where they thought the scarecrow had been torn to pieces.

'Substitution' Naruto thought. 'Why am I not surprised?'

Naruto turned and said, "Yo Sasuke. I must admit that you surprised me. I didn't think you had it in you to use yourself as a human shield to protect Sakura. I guess you took Kakashi- sensei's words about not abandoning your comrades to heart."

"Whatever," Sasuke replied. Sakura, blushing, was about to say something, but Sasuke had already left and turned his attention back to Kakashi. Kakashi was examining the two ninja Naruto had immobilized.

"There's poison in these guys' claws," Kakashi pointed out. "Should they have cut any of you, we would have had to open up the wound and leech out the poison before it turned fatal."

Sasuke said nothing in return as Kakashi turned to Tazuna and said, "I need to talk to you." The others joined Kakashi after tying up the two wounded ninja. "These two are Chunin-level ninja from the Mist Village," Kakashi said. "They're known to keep fighting no matter what."

"Tell me. How were you able to detect us?" one of the two asked.  
>"You dumbasses" Naruto mocked. "Any fool should know that there shouldn't be a puddle in an area that hasn't had rain for days!"<br>"That's true," Kakashi admitted.  
>Tazuna turned to the Jonin and asked, "Why did you allow these kids to fight when you knew that?"<p>

"If I wanted to, I could have killed those two in the blink of an eye. However," Kakashi explained before looking at the older man suspiciously and finishing, "I needed to know who their target was."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked nervously.

"In other words," Naruto answered for Kakashi as he turned toward Tazuna, "were you being targeted, or was it somebody from our team? Kakashi-sensei and the rest of us haven't heard anything about you being targeted by ninja."

"Your request was for us to protect you from armed groups like gangs and robbers," Kakashi added. "This is a mission that's above C-rank. Our job was to support and safeguard you until you completed the bridge. If ninja are our enemies, then it would be an expensive B-rank mission. We're sure you have your reasons. However, we're in trouble if you lied in your request details. This wasn't part of the mission." Tazuna remained quiet after hearing what Kakashi was saying.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura spoke. "This mission is out of our league. We should return to the village for reinforcements."

Sasuke was about to say something when "No!" Naruto strongly interjected. "The three of us requested a more challenging mission, right? I'll be damned if we turn back now, and I'm not one who turns his back on someone in need of help! We should continue this mission!"

Kakashi spoke up, "As passionate as you are about this, Naruto, it would be best to know exactly what we're up against before we continue. And for that, we need more information."

The Jonin took out some rope and tied up the two wounded ninja before hauling them away. "I won't be long now," Kakashi said as he walked off into the bushes until he was out of sight.

"What is he going to do?" Tazuna asked.

"Pry information out of those two," Naruto replied. "I wish I could be there to watch. I could have learned something."

Sasuke then remembered something he wanted to ask. "Naruto"  
>"What is it?" Naruto replied.<p>

"Those clones you made that exploded on those two ninja," Sasuke inquired, "they weren't your standard shadow clone, were they?"  
>"Actually, they were. They just used a kinjutsu only shadow clones can use, called <strong>Exploding Clone Jutsu<strong>" Naruto explained.

"Those jutsu wasn't taught at the academy," Sakura stated.  
>"No, they weren't," Naruto said. "I'm the only one from our class that has the massive chakra reserves needed to use them without risk of dying from chakra exhaustion."<p>

"When did you learn that jutsu?" Sasuke asked in a manner that showed he wanted answers.

"Oh that, that is a jutsu I created after I learned shadow clone, after watching that they burst into puff of smoke and return the excessive chakra and memories back to me, I came up with an idea, what if those clones instead of giving chakra back to me, use it for a last attack and this created **exploding clone jutsu. **It actually manipulates the chakra into your affinity that you have mastered and release it all at once. In my case, the chakra of the clones was of fire nature and when they dispelled, the chakra instead of coming back to me burst into flames. If the chakra was of lightning style as of Sasuke, then the clones would have burst into lightning and this jutsu can only be used by shadow clones" explained Naruto

"Kakashi-sensei" Sakura called out as the others turned to see the Jonin re-join the group.  
>"What did you do with those two ninja?" Sasuke asked.<p>

"I had them tell me everything they knew," Kakashi spoke. "They'll no longer pose a threat." It didn't take long to interpret what Kakashi meant. The two Mist ninja were dead.

"As noted earlier, Tazuna has been withholding information from us. Those Mist ninja were the Demon Brothers. Those two served a man named Zabuza Momochi, who was in turn hired by someone else. They didn't know who, but I'm sure Tazuna does. The rank of this mission is indeed higher than C-rank. It's an A-rank."

Tazuna was now noticeably sweating. "You're right. There's more to this than you all know, about a year and a half ago, Land of waves was a rich and prosperous country, and everyone was happy living there. Then Gato came."

"Gato" Naruto inquired.

"The president of Gato Corporation, He's one of the wealthiest men in the world," Kakashi explained.

Tazuna nodded and continued, "Officially he's only a businessman. However, he's actually a criminal, using corruption and violence to take control and smuggle drugs, weapons, and other valuables. He took control of Land Of Waves by buying all of our country's ports. He controls all sea travel, and on an island, that means you control the island itself. Land Of Waves has become a poor country with no hope.

"That's why I'm building the bridge to connect Land Of Waves with the mainland. With that bridge, my people and I can prosper again. However, Gato fears my bridge, because it would end his tyrannical control over the country, and he wants to kill me to put a stop to its construction. Naturally, he hired a few shinobi. I travelled to Konoha to get protection, but since we're so poor, we couldn't afford anything more than a C-rank mission. You understand why I had to lie about the mission? It took everything our entire village could save to even afford this type of mission, and we can't pay for anything higher. Our country has been suffering through severe economic poverty."

"I see," Naruto said before turning to Kakashi and asking, "What do you think Kakashi- sensei?"  
>"This mission is clearly an A-rank," Kakashi stated. "This isn't the kind of mission I've trained you three for yet. However, we'll continue with the mission on one condition, Tazuna."<br>"And what's that?" Tazuna asked.

"When your country gets back on its feet, you're to pay us the rightful amount of money," Kakashi said, and Tazuna nodded in agreement.

The team assumed their previous formation around Tazuna, with Kakashi in the back, Naruto in the front, and Sasuke and Sakura watching Tazuna from the sides. The group continued on their way until they found themselves at the shore, where they found a small boat and its captain waiting for them. It was evident that they would have to ride the boat across the water.

They all boarded the boat and started on their way to Land Of Waves. The ride was spent in silence. After a while, they arrived at the shore of their destination and got off the boat to continue on their way to Tazuna's house by foot.

"All of you are welcomed to stay at my house. I've got two extra rooms for you to use and a sofa if there's not enough room," said Tazuna as he showed them the way to his house through the forest.

While walking down the dirt road to Tazuna's, Naruto remained silent, deep in thought about something. He snapped out of it when he sensed a presence. He pulled out a kunai and threw it into a bush, nearly hitting a defenceless white rabbit that was now backed up into a tree. Everyone turned to Naruto after he pulled that stunt.

"What's the deal, Naruto?" Sakura asked.  
>"Something's wrong here," Naruto pointed out while looking into the forest. "It's summer and the colour of that rabbit is white."<br>"It was kept indoors," Sasuke realized. "Which means-?"

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Kakashi shouted while he grabbed Tazuna. Sasuke pulled Sakura down and Naruto hit the dirt as well. Just in time, a large sword barely missed removing their heads.

"It appears that this new bunch is more aware of the dangers before them. No matter, you're all going to die here," said the dark voice of the man who appeared before the group, standing with his giant sword.  
>"Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Bloody Mist, I presume," Kakashi calmly said as he and the others stood back up. "A former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist"<p>

Zabuza took a good look at the team in front of him. He then took a better look at Kakashi. "Copycat Ninja Kakashi," Zabuza stated. "I've heard of you as well, though I question if what they say of your abilities is true."  
>"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, watch over Tazuna and keep him safe! I'll handle this," stated Kakashi, lifting up his head protector and revealing a single Sharingan.<p>

Zabuza let out a gravelly chuckle. "During my days in mist village's assassination squad, our bingo books had your information. It says you're the ninja who copied over a thousand jutsu! Capture or kill by whatever means possible."

'Is Kakashi-sensei that great of a shinobi?' Sakura asked herself.  
>"Enough talk," said Zabuza. "I have a job to do."<br>"What's your role in all this?" Kakashi inquired.

"I was hired to kill the old man over there. Now, hand him over and I'll let the rest of you go free," Zabuza said confidently. Naruto snorted, and he, Sasuke, and Sakura formed a protective circle around Tazuna. Kakashi stood his ground before Zabuza.

"It seems I have to kill you first, Kakashi. So be it," Zabuza said. "I'll make fish bait out of your Genin after I'm through with you." He held his large sword and vanished, then reappeared on the water not far from them. "**Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu**" Zabuza said and the fog thickened, lowering the visibility nearly to zero.

"Damn," Sakura cursed. "I can't see anything!"  
>"Be quiet. He'll kill you before you know it if you don't keep your voice down," Kakashi said.<br>"Who is he?" Sakura asked

"Momochi Zabuza is a rogue ninja from Village Hidden in the Mist" Kakashi explained, "He killed over 100 ninja before he even got his Genin rank. He's known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist, and, trust me you don't want to get in a fight with him."

"How do you know this?" Sakura asked.

"I have my ways," Kakashi answered plainly. "Momochi Zabuza is renowned for his silent killing technique. Silent killing is a way of killing that is executed in a flash and in absolute silence. In some cases, you are dead before you realize it. So don't let your guard down."

Team 7 tightened their grip on the kunai they'd pulled out. Naruto made two Shadow Clone taking advantage of the mist to keep out of sight from everyone while taking care of what they had to do. "Eight places to choose from" came Zabuza's voice, seemingly from everywhere.

"Huh?" Sakura said.

"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, sub clavier artery, kidneys, and heart, now, which vital organ should I strike?" Zabuza asked, blood-lust filling his voice. Kakashi sent out a wave of his own killer intent, so much that even Tazuna, Sasuke, and Sakura felt disturbed by it.

"What is this feeling?" Sakura asked, her voice quivering.

"This is the feeling that comes when two strong ninja do battle. Their blood-lust it's so great that it can make weak-minded people commit suicide to escape it," Naruto explained calmly, being unaffected by the waves of blood-lust. Zabuza unexpectedly appeared right in the middle of the ring, in front of Tazuna.

"DIE!" Zabuza yelled as he swung his sword, swiftly slashing Tazuna's head off as his headless body stumbled backwards before falling to the ground with the head rolling a couple of feet away before stopping.

"No!" Sakura screamed in fright and shock.  
>"DAMN IT!" Sasuke cursed, seeing that their client was killed right in front of them.<p>

Zabuza's smile was pasted behind his mask. "I win!" Zabuza said triumphantly. Then, Tazuna's body and head burst into a cloud of smoke and vanished. "What?" Zabuza said with a perplexed expression. "A Shadow Clone, but when"

Taking advantage of Zabuza's confused state, Kakashi rushed at him and stabbed him with a kunai. "Ugh," Zabuza groaned, but instead of blood, water poured out of the wound. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stared at Zabuza. Kakashi's voice snapped them out of it. "**Water Clone**" Kakashi acknowledged, and Zabuza smirked before collapsing into a puddle of water.

Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. "DIE!" he yelled again as he swung his sword and cut Kakashi in two. But Kakashi turned into water as well. "Huh, a **Water Clone**" Zabuza shouted in surprise. An instant later, he felt a kunai at his throat.

"It's over," Kakashi commented blandly  
>"Sensei" Sakura cried out happily<p>

Zabuza started to laugh, He copied my jutsu. "It's over? I don't think so," Zabuza said as he, too, dissolved into water.

"Another Water Clone" Sakura yelled surprised

Naruto started gathering wind chakra around his body. Suddenly, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, making a downward strike with his sword. Naruto ran towards Zabuza at incredible speed and body-slammed into the man. Zabuza was sent flying off the ground away from the Kakashi. As Zabuza was still airborne, Naruto followed up with a swift punch to Zabuza's face. The rogue skidded off the ground a couple of times before crashing straight into a tree in his path, bursting into a pool of water.

"Terrific," Naruto remarked sarcastically. "A Water Clone again."

Zabuza appeared and got ready to strike Naruto. Naruto saw this, however, and readied himself to counter Zabuza at the last second. However, Kakashi, being fast enough, came and used his kunai to block the massive sword. Zabuza, in return, tried to strike Kakashi with his own kunai, but Kakashi jumped away. Zabuza followed up with slashes that Kakashi barely dodged. Kakashi threw his kunai towards Zabuza, but he evaded it. Kakashi then vanished and appeared on top of the water, doing a set of hand signs. Zabuza smirked and vanished. Kakashi suddenly jumped over some shuriken launched at him and crouched down on top of the water when he landed. Zabuza appeared behind him.

"Idiot, **Water Prison Jutsu**" Zabuza said. A sphere of water formed around Kakashi with Zabuza holding onto it. "You can't get out of this prison, so just kick back, and watch me kill your precious students," Zabuza said, and a Water Clone appeared in front of him. But before it could take one step, it was destroyed by several kunai thrown by Sakura and Sasuke from different directions.

"If you think it'll be that easy, then you're wrong!" Sasuke said. Zabuza huffed and created more Water Clones.

"Well, you aren't as useless as I once believed, but you can't beat this many Clones," Zabuza said. Then two of the Clone dissolved after being struck by a couple of shuriken, courtesy of Naruto.  
>"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, get your ass out of that damn sphere," Naruto yelled. Zabuza's eyes widened when the Kakashi in his prison popped away.<p>

"Sorry Zabuza, but did you think I would let that jutsu hit me? Please, I know it myself and recognized it immediately. Don't underestimate me," Kakashi's voice came from everywhere and suddenly the water under the Water Clones rose up and destroyed them. Then Kakashi appeared in front of Zabuza. He threw a punch towards the man's face, but he evaded, countering with a kick towards Kakashi's stomach. It connected and Kakashi popped in a cloud of smoke.

"What? Shadow Clone" Zabuza was surprised.

But his surprise turned to fright when he heard Kakashi's voice call out, "**Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu**"  
>A dragon made of water sped towards Zabuza, who jumped away while making hand-seals. Kakashi made the same seals as Zabuza, and in unison they called out, "<strong> Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu<strong>"

Twin dragons of water rose up from the water under the fighters and battled for supremacy. They ended up destroying each other ultimately. When the water dragons were destroyed, a slightly tired looking Zabuza stood in front of Kakashi, whose face didn't show any humour.

"It's time to die Zabuza," Kakashi said and formed some seals so fast that Zabuza couldn't keep up. A masked person watching did see the seals, however, and prepared for Kakashi's move.

"**Water Style: Grand Waterfall Jutsu**" Kakashi said. The water below him started to spin before rising and forming a spinning funnel that headed straight towards Zabuza.

"What? This can't be!" Zabuza yelled before he was swallowed by the water. The funnel of water continued to spin and move through the forest. Naruto wasted no time as he quickly ran and followed after the spiralling water vortex through the forest while Zabuza was being thrown in different directions inside the water before finally getting slammed into a tree. Zabuza found it difficult to move after the harsh impact into the tree, and being violently spun around added to his disoriented state. A masked person who was in hiding watching the fight the entire time disappeared in a swirling mist.

As Naruto was reaching Zabuza, he pulled out several kunai and threw them into Zabuza's arms and legs. "Now die!" Naruto said as he extended his right arm and prepared to finish Zabuza off with sword. Suddenly, two long needles flew through the air and struck Zabuza. He fell down with a shocked expression.

"Hey, you were right. He did die," a masked person said, standing on a tree branch not far from where Zabuza fell. Kakashi appeared next to Zabuza and checked his life signs.

"He really is dead," Kakashi said, and then looked at the masked person, who bowed to him.

"I am most appreciative of your defeating Zabuza for me. I really don't think I could have handled him on my own. If you'll excuse me, I'll take the body," said the tracker, earning a wary gaze from Naruto as she picked up the body.

"Wait a minute, let me help get rid of his body," offered Naruto.

"Thank you, but I can handle it from here. Besides, I'd have to kill you if you stumbled upon one of my village's secrets while I dissect him," the tracker replied before quickly disappearing with the body in a swirling mist. Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he made no comment. Kakashi collapsed to the ground before Sasuke and Sakura ran over to him.

"The Sharingan has interesting abilities," Kakashi said. "However, it puts a lot of strain on the body, and it drains a lot of chakra." Going over to Kakashi, Naruto made two Shadow Clones and had them take Kakashi off Sasuke and Sakura's hands. "By the way, Naruto, where's Tazuna?" Kakashi asked.

"Up there," Naruto said as he pointed up to the top of one of the trees. The group looked up to see a Naruto clone standing on one of the branches with Tazuna on his back, high up in the tree. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura saw that none of the trees actually had any lower branches for Naruto or his clones to use to climb up.

"How did your Shadow Clone get Tazuna and himself up there without any branches near the ground?" Sakura asked.

"A hook and some rope, Sakura," Naruto lied. "Nothing special, he held onto my clone as my clone climbed the tree." What Naruto didn't tell them was that his clone scaled the tree using chakra with Tazuna holding onto him. The clone held onto Tazuna and performed a smokeless shunshin with him and teleported over to Naruto.

"**Shunshin**, when did you learn that?" Sakura asked.

"Don't you remember our survival training, me and Sasuke both knew **shunshin** back then also, remembered" replied the blond  
>Sakura wanted to give a retort, but Kakashi cut in, "Swopping Tazuna with one of your disguised clones was a nice trick."<p>

"After Zabuza made that mist, I took advantage of our imposed inability to see our surroundings and made two clones. I had one of them henge into Tazuna, while the other one took our client and hid with him high up in the trees while keeping watch over him. That way, we were able to deal with Zabuza without fear of Tazuna getting hit in the crossfire or Zabuza finding another chance to attack Tazuna." Naruto untied his orange jacket from around his waist and placed it back on normally.

"You really thought that through, Naruto. Excellent job," Kakashi complimented. "In general, you've all done well."

"Thank you everyone. I would be honoured to have you guys stay with me," said Tazuna. Naruto's third Shadow Clone popped as the group headed to Tazuna's house to rest and regain the strength that they had lost in the battle.

**Three Hours Later**

The group finally arrived at Tazuna's place, a nice plain house by the riverside. Waiting there was Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, a woman in her thirties with long dark hair and an attractive but stern face.

"Tsunami, I'm so glad to see you. These are the good ninja from Konoha that protected me," Tazuna said, introducing the team from Konoha, each of whom bowed back in response (minus Kakashi, who was still being carried).

"Thank you for helping my father," Tsunami said, smiling. Kakashi, though exhausted, nodded along with Naruto, while the Genin beamed with pride at Tazuna's next words.

"They're really strong, and they didn't even leave when they learned that they will be up against really tough enemies here!" the old man boasted

"But why did you all decide to continue the mission?" Tsunami asked as Tazuna and the others headed toward the house. "We only had enough for a C-rank, and this must be more than that."

"Forsaking and abandoning those in need is both dishonourable and cowardly. Plus, we wanted a tough mission to strengthen ourselves," Naruto said with a bit of seriousness, and then he gave a perverted smile. "And seeing a beautiful young maiden of the ocean's waves like you before my eyes is my undeserving reward for accepting such a dangerous mission. Surely someone of your feminine grace can't possibly be any older than twenty-two."

Sasuke and Sakura groaned in annoyance, seeing that Naruto was back to his old perverted antics again. "Ugh…thank you…I guess," Tsunami could only say with a blush while feeling both faltered and embarrassed that she was being flirted with by someone less than half her age. Tazuna chuckled at his daughter's situation and Naruto's behaviour in admiring Tsunami. "I think my daughter is a little too old for you boy."

"Kakashi-sensei needs a place to rest," Sasuke stated returning the focus back on Kakashi's needs as everyone now entered the house.

"I doubt I'll be able to move properly for a week," Kakashi replied.

"I have two extra rooms for you all," Tazuna said. "The young girl can sleep in one of them, while your sensei and the boys can share the other." Naruto's **Shadow Clone** handed Kakashi over to Sasuke and Sakura.  
>"We'll go outside to keep watch over the house," one of the clones said. Naruto nodded as he followed the others to one of the spare rooms Tazuna was leading them to. The clones went outside to be on guard.<p>

**A While Later**

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were in the room with Kakashi as he rested on a futon. Tazuna and Tsunami later entered the room as well. Naruto was deep in thought and remained silent for most of the time.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, "I have a few questions for you guys."  
>"What are they?" Sasuke asked<br>"What is a tracker ninja?" Kakashi asked

"Special ninja that hunt down and dispose of rogue ninja," Naruto replied. "And how do they dispose of their target?" Kakashi asked.

"They kill their target and destroy the body," Sasuke replied  
>"Where" Kakashi asked<br>"Um, I don't know," Sakura replied

"How should we know? The only tracker ninja we've seen took Zabuza's body away," Sasuke said

"That's true…and that's what's been bothering me since Zabuza's defeat," Naruto said, causing the others to focus on him

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked

"From what I know, trackers dispose of the body on the spot, and if she needed any evidence that her job was done, she only had to take Zabuza's head and sword," Naruto explained

"Also," Kakashi jumped in. "The weapons she used were senbon needles, which aren't very dangerous. That tracker didn't kill Zabuza, she helped him. Zabuza is alive."

"What?" Sakura and Tazuna shouted in surprise. Naruto and Sasuke just stayed quiet and listened.  
>"But you said he was dead!" Tazuna said<p>

"I did," Kakashi admitted weakly. "It's possible to put someone in a temporary death state, though. Trackers know the human anatomy very well, and it would be easy for them to do that." Naruto nodded before standing up. "He is alive, and he will be back soon," Kakashi said. "I should think we have about a week or two, based on his injuries and how long it takes to recover from a near-death state." Kakashi sat up and looked at his Genin.

"Sensei, how are you going to prepare us for this before it's too late? You can't move for a while," Sakura asked.

Kakashi chuckled and replied, "I'm going to make you, Sasuke, and Naruto go through some training."

"But sensei, even if we train, it won't be very helpful. The enemy gave you problems even with your Sharingan," Sakura said.

"Sakura," Kakashi said. "All of you helped me out during my battle with Zabuza. You're all growing and improving rapidly. And Naruto didn't go all out and neither did Sasuke and neither did they revealed their Sharingan"

An eight-year-old boy wearing green overalls and a hat that shadowed his eyes walked into the room. Everyone turned to look at the boy. "Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"Inari, where were you?" Tazuna asked as the boy went over to the old man and hugged him.  
>"I've been here all this time, Grandpa," Inari said.<br>"Inari, say hello to them. These are the ninja who escorted your grandpa," Tsunami said warmly.

Inari turned to look at Kakashi and the group. The young boy snorted, "It doesn't matter. They'll all die anyway. There's no way they can win against Gato."

"Excuse me?" Naruto replied indignantly.  
>"If you don't want to die, then you should go home," Inari replied as he started walking away.<br>"Where are you going?" Tazuna asked.  
>Inari stopped and said, "I'm going to watch the ocean."<p>

The boy continued walking and went on his way, leaving the other behind. "Ah, forgive him. He has been like that since a…an ill-fated incident some time ago," Tazuna said.

**Later**

Naruto was walking down from the room they had when he heard sobbing coming from Inari's room. "Huh?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he quietly opened Inari's door. The young boy's room was modest; it had a bed in a corner and a desk in front of a window. On top of the desk Inari sat, crying and staring at a picture. Naruto walked up behind the boy, too silent to be noticed, and looked at the picture. It was a man with dark hair, a kind smile, and a cross- shaped scar on his jaw. It was clear that the man meant a lot to Inari. Naruto didn't know what to do other than try to comfort the boy. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, and Inari nearly jumped out of his skin.

"What…oh, it's you! What do you want?" Inari asked coldly  
>"Who's the guy in the picture?" Naruto asked, pointing at said object.<br>"What's it to you?" Inari began. "It's none of your-"

"If you don't wish to tell me, fine, but you'll never feel better than you did a moment ago if you keep it inside," Naruto interrupted before exiting. Deciding to step outside, Naruto went over to the sandy shores to gaze at the ocean. In all his life, he had never seen the ocean before, though he'd seen many pictures of it. This was his first time, and he was enjoying the fresh, enchanting smell and the breeze of the open, crystal-clear ocean with the sun shining over him. The waves of the ocean were splashing against his feet, causing wet sand to get in between his toes.

**2 weeks later**

During the week, Naruto found out that he had a lightning affinity too, but he still had to complete his wind manipulation so he decided to leave it for later and complete his wind manipulation. While he was training, Sasuke was teaching Sakura tree and water walking and on occasions, Sasuke goes with Tazuna to the bridge to help him using his **shadow clone**, according to Naruto the more he uses shadow clone the better he will become in managing it for a longer period and the more he will be able to create.

Much to Sasuke's surprise, within a week, he was able to create 100 **shadow clone** without any sweat and his chakra reserves was also grown from the time when he started using his technique. Currently Naruto was on the second stage of mastering his wind affinity and at time the kyuubi or Kurama use to talk to him to tell him more about himself and to tell him not to exert himself. He also talked to Kakashi about his father and he heard a lot of things about him and he was really happy.

It was night time already when Naruto along with Sasuke and Sakura came home. They sat on the floor and started eating their food while talking about their achievements till now. It was now that Naruto learned that Sakura had mastered tree walking and water walking. Sasuke also told him that he managed to learn **explosive clone jutsu **from his fire affinity and now he was able to create 100 **explosive shadow clones.**

The conversation was going on when Inari came in and shouted "Stop your foolishness," Inari said, his voice full of anger, "Why do you all continuously train, knowing you're fighting a battle none of you will win? None of you know anything about this place. None of you know what it means to suffer hardships-"

"Enough!" Naruto strongly ordered, immediately silencing the youth with a voice that grabbed everyone's attention as they all turned to look at him. "I know enough about hardships, boy...a lot more than you think!"

Naruto stood from his seat and walked over to Inari and stood in front of him, towering over the boy with a battle-hardened expression and cold blue eyes that pierced through his soul. Inari cringed in fear from the feeling that penetrated through him the moment he stared straight at him with those unbreakable blue eyes of his. Tsunami and Tazuna had worried expressions on their faces, hoping Naruto wasn't going to do anything against Inari. Sakura and Sasuke watched while looking at Naruto's expression while they, too, felt Naruto's aura. Kakashi stayed silent as he waited to see what would happen next.

"You say we don't know anything about suffering hardships, right? Well, kid, that just shows how narrowed-minded and ignorant you are. The only one on my team that's lived a relatively peaceful life is Sakura. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke lost their families early on in their lives. As for me, my parents were killed the day I was born. I grew up never knowing what it's like to feel parental love and discipline. I never had a father to teach and guide me or a mother to love and raise me. Since birth, I grew up being ignored, scorned, hated, and looked upon like unwanted trash by my entire village. Heck, I was even thrown out of the orphanage when I was six"

He continued "Parents pulled their children away from me with hate-filled eyes, telling their children to have nothing to do with me, and that I was a monster. In time, that same poisonous hate corrupted their children, and they too scorned, bullied, and hated me. I've been called cruel and vicious names, and my very existence was spat upon. I spent countless nights crying alone, never knowing why everyone hated me so much, why they never wanted me around, why nobody wanted to be my friend. I grew up being lied to by those I trusted, and only recently did I learn the truth. During the early years of my life, I used to wonder why I never had parents, never had a family, and never had friends who cared about me. I had to learn to fend for myself while I was in danger of being consumed by the ever growing hate and bloodlust that was developing within my soul, wanting payback for how I was so terribly wronged by the people of the village, and even now I'm fighting to keep that hardened and darkened side of myself at bay"

He continued "Thankfully, I managed to find important people who saved me from becoming the very monster everyone else thought me to be. So tell me, Inari, can you relate to my suffering and nightmares?" Naruto concluded with a cold and hardened tone.

Inari and everyone present were left speechless at Naruto's words. Sakura was in total disbelief at what she heard. All she knew about Naruto was that he was a perverted troublemaker and prankster who caused mayhem wherever he went. What she heard just a moment ago went against everything she thought she knew about Naruto. Sasuke was angry again about hearing his words. He was angry for what the villagers did to his so called brother.

Kakashi saw a pattern to Naruto, whenever that look in Naruto's eyes changed, his personality and character completely changed to one that he, and only he was familiar with, as though he was an entirely different person. Kakashi suspected that that was the true Naruto and that the other one they were used to be an intricate illusion.

'You're a true deceiver and illusionist, Naruto' Kakashi thought. 'I wonder how long it'll be before you decide to drop the mask. Though I still wonder when and how your changes took place. I don't know if you'll ever forgive me completely, but I'll try to make it up to you'

Inari got up and dismissed himself to his room upstairs. "I never would have known you had such a bitter life, Naruto," Tsunami said sympathetically. "Why would people from your own village treat you so cruelly?"

"It's a long and dark story, and I'd rather not discuss it…I have my reasons," Naruto said. "By the way, I saw a picture of a man with a cross shaped scar under his chin in Inari's room. Where is that man?"

Sighing, Tazuna gave a detailed account to everyone about what had happened with Inari and the man who became his surrogate father, whose name was Kaiza. The old man explained how Kaiza saved Inari from drowning one day after the boy was bullied by the older boys of the village. Tazuna expanded, "From that day, Kaiza quickly became a hero in Inari's eyes, and the two were inseparable. My daughter too, became very close with the man especially after seeing how Inari loved him so much. Many others happened to regard Kaiza as a new hope for the people, seeing as he possessed such a carefree yet courageous heart and spirit"

"Everything was going so well for everyone," Tazuna continued before giving a dejected expression. "But later, Gato and his men came to our island and took over. Kaiza was the only man brave enough to defy and stand up to his cruelty. But he was later captured, and Gato and his thugs had Kaiza publicly executed in front of everyone. It crushed Inari's poor heart seeing Kaiza killed. Adding to this terrible misfortune was that my daughter Tsunami was planning on marrying and settling down with Kaiza. Like my grandson, my daughter was heartbroken by that horrific event, and she cried many times thinking about how her son had lost two fathers and how she had lost two lovers."

Everyone was silent after hearing Tazuna's story. Tsunami wiped away the few tears that spilled out of her eyes as she remembered what happened. Naruto and Sasuke didn't say a word as Sakura gave a sympathetic look to Tazuna and Tsunami. A moment later, Naruto started to walk off "Please excuse me," said Naruto calmly as he performed a smokeless shunshin and left the scene.

'That is not Naruto. That is that not the same guy' Sakura thought. "Kakashi-sensei, what Naruto said about himself, was it really true?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi nodded solemnly, "Every word of it. There was no exaggeration to Naruto's life story. He was being serious." Sakura didn't know what to think. She always thought she had Naruto figured out, and now she found that she truly knew nothing about who Naruto really is.

**Meanwhile In Inari's Room**

Inari sat there on his bed holding a picture of Kaiza. The man looked so happy and carefree. "Back in this room again, I see," Naruto said, startling the boy. The blond approached Inari and stood in front of him.

"Come," Naruto ordered as he held Inari and body flickered with him to the beach. Tsunami went to check on her son, only to find that he was gone.

"Where did he go?" Tsunami asked aloud.

**At The Beach**

"Inari," Naruto said calmly. "Hear me out, please. I will not deny that you went through a painful experience, but you're thoughtlessly going at it as though you're the only person in Land of Waves who's suffering. Your mother and grandfather take no delight in seeing you behave the way you do. In fact, you're the one who's adding more to their discomfort by your continuous brooding and pessimistic outlook. I know you truly loved Kaiza, but so did your mother and grandfather. Instead of dwelling on the tragic ordeals you went through, what you should be doing is feeling grateful that you still have your family there for you"

"Believe me when I say that not everyone in Land of Waves is as fortunate as you. I've seen how others live in this country as a result of Gato's tyranny, and I definitely hate what Gato has reduced this beautiful country to and how many lives he has ruined. Kaiza was a brave man for challenging Gato and his army, and it's sad that you and your family lost him. But you can't keep your mind in the past, because that's what's preventing you from seeing what's happening now in front of you. You're overlooking the bravery your grandfather is showing by defying Gato so openly."

The young boy was stunned at what Naruto was telling him. "Your grandfather risked his life to get aid from a foreign shinobi village, knowing he'd be killed if he were discovered on his way to employ our team. He and many others are risking their lives in order to save Land of Waves, and everyone who lives here, from Gato's oppression. Gato may appear strong and untouchable, but the truth of the matter is completely different: Gato is afraid of your grandfather. He fears what the completion of Tazuna's bridge will mean for him. That's why he wants your grandfather dead so desperately. Your grandfather is a serious threat to Gato, just like how Kaiza was"

"Kaiza fought to protect those he loved and cherished as his precious people, and, likewise, your grandfather is doing the same." Naruto looked out at the ocean. "You have a beautiful home with an amazingly beautiful ocean to gaze upon, Inari. Don't fill it with sadness and misery because it won't honour Kaiza's memory as the hero you saw him as."

Inari looked at Naruto with a dumbfounded expression. All that time he never thought of his grandfather in such a way, and Naruto helped him to see it clearly. "I suffered a great deal in my life, but I too had heroes and heroines who saved me, and among them were the Third Hokage, Iruka sensei, Sasuke, Kakashi sensei and a few others. I had to learn to count my blessings and remember the good things I have now rather than dwelling on the misfortune I went through in my early years. I have precious people I want to protect with my life, just like Kaiza and Tazuna. You ought to be proud of your grandfather for his selfless and brave spirit."

Naruto turned and headed towards the house. He then stopped and turned halfway to Inari and advised, "Count your blessings, Inari. If you truly want to make your grandfather and Kaiza proud of you, then I suggest you find someone or something precious to you, and fight to protect them." With those words, Naruto dismissed himself from Inari's sight, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts. The young boy stared at the picture and contemplated deeply on everything Naruto just told him.

"Inari, Inari are you out here?" Tsunami called out as she ran around looking for him. Inari turned to see his mother looking for him. Naruto pointed to where Inari was, and Tsunami hurried over to him. "Inari, are you alright?" Tsunami asked worriedly. Inari looked at his mother before embracing her.

"I'm sorry mommy," Inari cried. "I'm sorry for always making you and grandpa so sad. I'm so sorry." Tsunami knelt down and embraced Inari. "Naruto is right. Grandpa is a hero, I'm sorry for not seeing that. I was stupid and selfish," Inari cried.

"It's all right, Inari. We're not angry at you. We're just happy that you're alright," Tsunami consoled as her son cried on her shoulder.

A few minutes later, Inari pulled away and said, "I'm not going to be sad anymore, because Grandpa doesn't want us to be like that. I'm going to do everything I can to make you and grandpa happy and proud of me just like Naruto said I should do."

"I'm so happy to hear that, Inari," Tsunami said as she embraced her son again.


	10. Chapter 9 : The Demon Of The Mist

**Chapter 9: The Demon Of The Mist**

**At Zabuza's Hideout**

In a cone-shaped house in the middle of the forest, Zabuza was resting in his bed. He did not like the fact that he had lost to Kakashi, let alone the fact that he was then immobilized and wounded by his blond-haired Genin, who then nearly killed him. Speaking of the blond, Zabuza saw that there was more to that Genin than meets the eye. Moments later, a short man dressed in a business suit with two samurai bodyguards entered the room and went over to Zabuza.

"What do I see here? The great 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' is crippled after facing a few kids and some ninja? I'm beginning to believe that I'm not getting my money's worth with you, Zabuza. Perhaps I ought to kill you now and spare myself the pain of losing my money," said the short man, whose name was Gato. Gato walked over to the masked ninja and reached out to strangle Zabuza when a figure came out of nowhere and stood before the short man, tightly holding his arms before twisting it hard.

"You will in no way harm Zabuza. I won't allow it," said the young hunter-nin, who was no longer masked. Much to the older man's surprise, it was a young girl. The girl had a very pretty face, dark brown eyes, and dark hair that were tied up in a bun on top of her head, with two bangs hanging down and framing her face. She wore a green kimono with brown pants and a long, brown obi.

"Remove your hands from our boss, you little bitch!" yelled one of the two samurai bodyguards. The girl simply threw senbon at specific points in their arms, rendering the men helpless.

"I purposely missed your vital points, so don't test me," she warned.

"You brat, I expect both you and Zabuza to finish the job you started! I will not tolerate failure from either of you! Get the job over and done with, or suffer the consequences!" shouted an angry Gato, leaving the room with his bodyguards while rubbing his injured arm.

"Haku, there was no need for you to intervene. I could have taken care of matters myself," said Zabuza, holding on to a kunai under the bed sheet.

"I was aware of that, but as your instrument I must always protect you, no matter the circumstance," Haku said with a smile.

Zabuza sighed, and said, "I will recover soon. After I get back to full strength, I'll make sure Kakashi suffers for putting me in this condition. I'll kill his little brats, too."

"The blond one among them looked more dangerous than the others," Haku said, then continued, "He was ready to finish you off had I not taken you away from there."

"That blond kid's name is Naruto." Stated Zabuza  
>"Really" Haku said with interest. "So that's his name."<p>

"Haku," Zabuza warned. "Be as cautious against Naruto as you would be with Kakashi." The girl simply nodded.

**A Few Days Later**

Haku stood up and walked over to the window. Releasing the bun, her hair fell down to just under her shoulder blades. Twelve minutes later, she left the cone-shaped house and went walking into the forest. She now wore a pink kimono with red cherry blossoms on it and brown sandals. She carried a basket and was humming slightly to herself.

After an hour of walking, she came upon what she had searched for. Kneeling down, Haku started to pick herbs useful for medicines. Soon, her basket was almost full. A bird landed on her shoulder, and she smiled at it, cooing slightly at it before returning to her task. Haku was startled when the bird suddenly flew off. Feeling slightly down, she followed where it was going.

She saw the bird land next to a boy lying on the ground on his back. The boy had blond, spiky hair, and a Konoha forehead protector. He was wearing an orange jump suit and blue sandals. Haku got up and walked towards him. The bird flew off, as if thinking that the girl was going to kill the boy. Instead, she crouched down in front of him and shook him awake.

"Hey, you'll catch a cold, sleeping here," she said kindly. Naruto was awoken from his slumber by a gentle nudge. He opened his eyes and looked up at a very pretty girl who was at least two years older than him. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes before looking at her.

"Hey beautiful, what are you doing here?" Naruto inquired with a smile. "Did I die somehow and become a wandering spirit for you to take with you to the afterlife?"

Haku smiled and answered kindly, "No, you're very much alive like me. I'm picking medical herbs."  
>Haku gestured to her basket. "Ah, I see," Naruto acknowledged as he sat up on the ground.<p>

"By the way, I'm Haku," the girl greeted.  
>"I'm Naruto," he replied in return.<br>"Are you a shinobi?" asked Haku.  
>"I am what of it?" Naruto responded.<br>"Well, what were you doing out here?" Haku asked.

"I was training intensely by myself before I decided to take a break," Naruto replied straightforwardly. "I must have passed out at some point."

"Why would you be training? You look very strong already if you ask me," Haku said.

Naruto grinned cheerfully, "I want to become even stronger so that I can protect my friends and become the Hokage of my village."

"So, you train because of your precious people, and the family you wish to have?" Haku figured.

Naruto replied, "Were my motives that obvious to you?"

Haku couldn't help but smile brighter and blush at what Naruto said to her. She spoke, "I believe that you have people precious to you, and that you're working harder to become stronger to protect them. I believe that if you have someone to protect…you can become truly strong."

"It's clear that we have a mutual understanding of each other's feelings about things," Naruto said. "But tell me, do you have anyone precious to you that you seek to protect? Or are you in search of someone to become that precious person?"

"Oh, I do have someone precious to me. In fact, that's why I was gathering all these herbs. They're to be used as medicine for him," Haku explained.

"In that case, beautiful, I'll let you continue on your way," Naruto said. Haku nodded and smiled before she stood up from where she had crouched down and took her basket. She turned and started walking off from Naruto.

As she was walking off "And just so you know, I'm a boy," Haku said plainly. Turning, Naruto started walking off away from the scene, heading back to the house where Kakashi and the others were.

**The next day – At the bridge**

Ambush and the element of surprise have been renowned as the greatest weapons of all shinobi. Seeking out the weaknesses of their targets and exploiting them was what made their profession so sought after, even though it wasn't considered very honourable by some. Regardless, most accepted the fact that a great ninja could wipe out a thousand fighters and still survive the encounter, and history attested to that time and time again.

It was due to those historical realities that ninja were sought after as instruments of war. However, there were occasions when one ninja must test their mettle against another strong peer. To do that, it could be done in the way of their profession, in the dark, in the shadows, or…in the mist. Tazuna, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had arrived at the bridge. When they got there, they were met with the sight of the workers lying there, unconscious.

"This is…," Sakura said.

"Form the ring," Kakashi ordered. The ninjas formed a protective ring around Tazuna, each pulling out a kunai while getting ready. Then a thick mist came rolling in.

"**Hidden Mist Jutsu**" Zabuza's voice rang through the mist. "I really hate this jutsu," Sakura growled.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi greeted. "Normally, meeting someone of your reputation would be something I'd rather avoid. However, considering the circumstances, I don't think we'll be able to back down."

"Sad but true, Kakashi. I have ambitions that need to be put into effect, armies that need to be built, and a country that needs to be overthrown," Zabuza chuckled darkly within the mist. Suddenly, ten water clone of Zabuza appeared around Kakashi and his group.

"Sasuke" Kakashi said. He nodded. He pulled out some shuriken and threw them at the clones. The water clones were stabbed and fell apart into puddles of water. The mist cleared a bit, and there stood the real Zabuza with the fake hunter Nin next to him.

"It would seem that this fight will give us some trouble," Zabuza said.  
>"Indeed," Haku said.<p>

"Sasuke, you deal with that fake hunter Nin while I fight Zabuza. Sakura, you guard Tazuna," Kakashi instructed. The Genin nodded as they went to do as they were told.

"The boy there looks ready to fight. Haku, go handle your opponent," Zabuza said to the girl next to him. The first to move was Haku. She rushed at Sasuke with a senbon. Sasuke blocked it with his kunai and tried to kick Haku, who blocked with her foot.

"It looks like we're at a stalemate," Sasuke said, but Haku shook her head.

"No, I have two advantages. First, I have occupied one of your hands, and then there is the water around us," Haku said, then started forming one handed seals. Sasuke gasped when he saw it.

"**Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles Of Death**" Haku called out, and the water around her rose up and turned to ice needles. The needles flew towards Sasuke, and just before they hit, Haku jumped away. Sasuke focused chakra into his legs and when Haku jumped, Sasuke did the same, successfully evading the needles. Haku spun like a tornado. She had several senbon in her hands, making her spin motion very dangerous. Sasuke leaped away from the needles before they made contact.

Meanwhile, Naruto was making his way to the bridge when he saw Sasuke from a distance taking on the fake hunter Nin. "Looks like Haku and Zabuza didn't waste time getting this party started. Well, better late than never," Naruto commented as he neared the bridge. Reaching the base of the bridge, Naruto ran up one of the supports where Sasuke and Haku were battling.

When he reached the top, he leaped high into the air and dashed to where Haku was. Naruto focused all of his chakra into a central point as he blasted down at Haku like a meteor. The girl quickly jumped away from the attack as Naruto aimed in her direction. Naruto plunged into the ground hard enough to send both Sasuke and Haku flying away. The blond stood within the newly formed crater and looked over at Haku.

Sasuke took the opportunity to get up and pull him together. He gazed over at Naruto and saw the same look in his eyes as when he spoke with Inari several days ago.

"I don't wish to kill you. This isn't anything personal," Haku said.  
>"Then stand down and neither you nor Zabuza will get hurt," Sasuke ordered.<p>

"I'm afraid I can't do that, as I've been instructed to deal with you and now Naruto as well. This is the end," Haku said.

Naruto replied, "The hell it is!"  
>Haku formed some seals. "<strong>Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors<strong>"

The water below the bridge rose around Haku, Naruto, and Sasuke, and formed mirrors of ice arranged into a large dome around them. Haku, putting her mask back on, walked up to one of the mirrors, and 'melted' into it.

"What is that?" Sakura asked as she and Tazuna witnessed what happened.  
>"That girl…she has a bloodline limit?" Kakashi asked, and Zabuza nodded.<p>

"That is her ultimate jutsu. Those two kids won't be able to survive it. No one has beaten it, ever," Zabuza bragged.

"Nothing's as boring as bragging. Let's go!" Kakashi said. Zabuza chuckled, and the mist thickened around them.

"You may be the Copy Ninja, but I'm superior when it comes to killing without sight," Zabuza said. Kakashi sighed and blocked three shuriken that Zabuza threw.

**Inside the Ice Dome**

Sasuke and Naruto looked around inside the dome of ice mirrors. In every mirror, there was an image of Haku holding several needles.

"What…Multiple clone?" Sasuke wondered out loud. He was answered by a shower of senbon needles, very few of which they managed to evade. The two Genin took out some shuriken and started throwing them at the mirrors. Haku travelled swiftly between the mirrors while Sasuke went through some hand signs, seeing his chance to attack.

"**Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu**" Sasuke shouted as he took in a deep breath before releasing a blast of fire from his mouth towards Haku, who evaded the flames.

'The black-haired Genin was able to follow my movements with his eyes, almost as if he has a bloodline limit of his own…Wait! His eyes are now red with 3 tomoe's on each of them! Did he just awaken a dormant Kekkai Genkai?' Haku wondered as she escaped to the sanctuary of another ice mirror.

"You seemed stunned. I guess you never went up against an Uchiha before," said the now smirking Sasuke looking at Haku. Naruto took note of the fact that Sasuke's bloodline limit activated, but gave no verbal remark about it and activated his sharingan too.

'An Uchiha, Zabuza warned me about that clan and their eyes. I heard they were all wiped out with the exception of two of them. This one must be the survivor of the massacre, then why does the other one have those eyes too' Haku contemplated before speaking, "It makes no difference to me whether or not you're an Uchiha. Neither you nor Naruto will escape this ice prison of my creation."

Senbon needles now came from every direction simultaneously. Sasuke tried to see when Haku threw the needles, but the Haku moved too fast. All Sasuke could see was a blur in front of the mirrors, and he felt a new cut. Sasuke started to get desperate as he tried to evade and block the needles with his kunai.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**" Naruto called out, creating more clones. The clones stood in front of the boys before charging at Haku, or what they believed to be her. More senbon needles came flying at the clones before taking them down like the others, destroying the clones, and striking both boys.

**Meanwhile**

"Damn it!" Kakashi cursed as he narrowly dodged another swipe from Zabuza's **Executioner's Blade**. Even with his Sharingan eye, he couldn't see through the thick fog the former Mist Nin had summoned.

"What's wrong, Kakashi? I assumed that almighty eye of yours would at least see through the mist," Zabuza taunted, his voice echoing through the mist all around him.

"I need to come up with a strategy soon, otherwise he'll get me," Kakashi thought as he jumped out of the way of another strike from the missing Nin.

'What's happening in there?' Sakura thought worriedly as she looked towards Haku's dome of ice mirrors. She would have run off to check on her teammates, but she refrained from doing so. She wasn't stupid; she knew a fierce battle was happening inside that dome. She was by no means deluded. She knew that she wouldn't last five seconds in there.

Then there was Tazuna, the bridge builder she was guarding. Sakura had seen the condition of Land of Waves over the course of the mission. It was abysmal; all its inhabitants were dressed in rags. Even small children had to scavenge for food. She couldn't stand to see their deplorable state. That was why they needed the bridge; that was why they couldn't risk having anything happen to Tazuna. His bridge would open up an invaluable trade route and save Land of Waves altogether. The entire future of Land of Waves rested on him, and if she left him, Zabuza might just take the opportunity to kill him, condemning the citizens of Land of Waves to their horrendous living conditions for the rest of their lives. So Sakura stayed, watching with worried eyes and hoping Naruto and Sasuke were alright.

**Back Inside the Dome**

Sasuke's cry caught Naruto's attention. The Uchiha had several senbon sticking out of his shoulders and thigh, crumpling him to the ground. The ghostly masked girl dashed through her mirrors towards them with a speed that was blinding, outwitting them. Naruto held a kunai in his hands and sped through a defensive weave, deflecting the senbon as they tried to pincushion him and Sasuke.

Sasuke was trying to drag himself over to Naruto, but his injury was keeping him from moving properly. The girl that had quickly and easily put down Sasuke was approaching Naruto with her hands full of senbon, floating over him like some wrathful spirit within her mirror.

Naruto himself sustained a couple of cuts and stab wounds around his body. Sasuke at this point was kneeling on one leg on the ground after being struck with multiple senbon needles around his body and bleeding from his injuries.

"Sasuke, are you still with me? We're not dying today!" Naruto stated. Sasuke started dragging himself, one handed and one legged in a sort of sideways crouch, moving towards Haku, his expression saying that he wasn't going to lose this way, not without a fight. They were fighting to live.

And he was just standing there as that kunoichi who took them down was calmly cocking her head at him, curious to see what Sasuke was going to do. The reflection of the smooth senbon in his opponent's hands caught Naruto's eye.

"You are not needed for the success of Zabuza's plans," Haku spoke sadly behind her mask, "Please, don't take this personally. I'll make your deaths swift and painless."

"A swift and painless death, that's what you're offering us? You're full of such mercy," Naruto mocked in sarcasm, never taking his eyes off of Haku, though he could hear Sasuke's grunts.

"Why don't you give up?" asked Haku

"I just don't know when to give up! And besides, I didn't come this far to die now! I have dreams to fulfil, and precious people to protect so they can fulfil their dreams too!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I see, so you fight for your dreams, and for the dreams of others. Well, I fight for the dreams of my precious person. I want to see Zabuza's goals and ambitions carried out. I want to be completely useful to him and his plans. I will admit that it's difficult for me to be a shinobi, but for Zabuza, I'll sacrifice everything and become a full-fledged shinobi. To do so, I'll destroy my heart and kill you both," Haku replied, then held up a senbon needle.

"Destroy your heart?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. To be able to kill with no hesitation, one must destroy their heart. To take another's life is the way of the shinobi," Haku said as she noticed Naruto's enraged demeanour.

Naruto looked up at Haku and countered, "I risk my life and do what I must to do to protect my brother, my sensei, my team, my friends, and those who can't protect themselves! If I destroy my heart, accomplishing this will be impossible! I can't protect those precious to me and fight for their dreams if I lose all sense of humanity"

"Dobe…Don't listen to her…We have to-" Before Sasuke could finish his speech, seven more needles came from behind and impaled Sasuke in the back, arms, and legs all at once. The Uchiha fell to the ground on his chest.

"I'm afraid you won't be finishing your declaration of bravado, Sasuke," Haku remarked as she landed on her feet on the ground in front of one of the mirrors.

"N-Naruto," Sasuke said weakly, opening his eyes, blinking away the pain and weariness he felt. Naruto, while ignoring the pain from his body, pulled out the needles from both his and Sasuke's bodies and tossed them away. Before Naruto could do anything else for Sasuke, the Uchiha's entire body went limp as his eyes closed.

"Sasuke" Naruto asked, concerned, "Sasuke! Damn it! Wake up!"

"He's dead. Accept it," Haku said, having been watching them quietly the entire time. "Is this the first time you've lost a friend?"

Naruto gave her no verbal retort. "We are ninja, weapons, nothing more," Haku said.  
>"Shut up!" Naruto replied with a little killer intent<br>"There is always the chance that you or your comrades will die in battle," Haku added.  
>"Won't you shut up?" yelled Naruto as the killer intent grew wilder<br>"If you cannot realize that, then you are fighting pointlessly," Haku continued.  
>"I'LL KILL YOU" Naruto yelled as red chakra started leaking out of his body.<p>

Haku threw some senbon towards the blond. "This again" Naruto taunted as he used his red chakra to create a complete suit of armour around his body, stopping the needles in their tracks from striking his body before blasting the needles away. Haku was shocked from the sudden yet effective defence to her attack.

"Impossible! How were you able to stop my needles when you weren't capable of doing so before?" Haku asked in disbelief.

**In the Central Province of Land of Waves**

Within a heavily guarded five story building was a man named Gato. He was a man who enjoyed keeping his mind open to any beneficial business opportunities he could get. His minions would make their rounds in terrorizing the citizens and ensuring the locals were kept in line.

Once in a while, the civilians would get a little unruly, and would need to be reminded of their place, but that didn't take more than a few choice words. Gato would still get reports every now and then, but not frequently. He was currently checking his account books, calculating the numbers, and watching them continue to increase.

"Boss, we got news for you," one of his minions said as he entered Gato's office. Grumbling, the midget raised his head up from his desk to stare at his two mercenaries behind his very round sunglasses.

"This better be important for you to interrupt me while I'm busy," Gato warned.

"Zabuza and his partner are at the bridge. They intend to finish the job and the contract today," a second former samurai spoke up.

"That's good news. He and that young girl with him were starting to prove to be waste of space anyway. Is there anything else you have to share with me?" Gato asked with a frown

"The extra mercenaries you requested are at the mainland, sir. Believing the bridge to be closed for construction, they requested a ship to transport them here to this island," the second ex-samurai explained.

"Just the thought of that goddamn bridge pisses me off! I'll have to buy a shipment of dynamite to use on that bridge and have it blown down after Zabuza finishes his job," Gato turned back to his reports. "With the new addition to my army and Zabuza finishing his contract, I'll have less to be concerned with."

"That's the other thing, boss," the first minion said, interrupting Gato's work, "Zabuza is having a hard time against those ninjas he's fighting. Even as we speak, Zabuza and his partner could end up losing, or worse."

As a sinister smile grew on Gato's lips, he spoke, "Now this is something. If Zabuza could, at the very least wear them down, he and the other shinobi will be vulnerable, and we can just kill all of them. Yes, that would do nicely."

"Understood, boss," the second minion snickered as he rubbed the hilt of his sword with anticipation. Gato stood up from his desk and ledger, contemplating what was discussed.

"This could be a blessing in disguise. I think I'll go meet my new army at the mainland. That way, I'll have a front row seat to see what's become of Zabuza and that partner of his," Gato said with a dark smile.

**Back Inside the Dome**

Naruto was able to feel Kyuubi's chakra circulating to all his wounds, and already the chakra was at work, healing him as fast as possible. Naruto just had to buy himself a little more time as his wounds closed up. With rage, he went towards Haku banging him on the ground and then piercing his claws through her chest.

His eyes fell on Sasuke's body and immediately run towards him. When he reached there, he noticed he was not dead, just unconscious, so he started healing him. After he had make sure that he will make it through, he went to Haku's body and noticed that he was alive and not dead, so he fell in deep thought.

"Kill me" Haku asked  
>"Why?" Naruto asked<p>

"Because my life had no significance," Haku answered with a low voice. "Zabuza gave me a reason to exist!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes before they started descending down her face. "He gave my life a purpose!"

"This purpose being" Naruto inquired.

"I am a tool, to be used by Zabuza in any way he sees fit. It's what I live for!" replied Haku

"You chose that as your purpose in life? To be his instrument! Listen to yourself Haku! You're a human being with feelings, hopes, and dreams! Why do you allow Zabuza to dictate your life?" Naruto replied with outrage.

Haku cried and sobbed and removed his mask and Naruto realized who he was, "I had no one. I have a bloodline limit. Back in Mist, we with bloodline limits were hated and killed off. The fourth Mizukage had ordered the complete genocide of everyone with bloodline limits. My mother, who also carried the same bloodline I have, lived with my father, hoping that he would never learn what she had. But one day, he found out. So he murdered my mother and tried to murder me as well. I can't remember what exactly happened after he tried to attack me. All I know is that when I woke, my father was dead, clearly killed by me, with ice stabbed through his heart."

"From that time, I was all alone. No one wanted me. I became a homeless orphan, alone on the streets, living off of whatever I could find to eat or drink. No one cared whether I lived or died! To them I was just street trash to be tossed to the side. It was Zabuza who found and took me in when everyone else shunned and left me to die. He gave me clothes, food, shelter, and taught me all he knew!"

There was a moment of silence between Naruto and Haku. The blond allowed the girl's words to sink into his mind as she continued in a sad tone, "Zabuza found use for me, and my bloodline limit and he wanted me to be a weapon, a tool for him. I was finally wanted in the world, as Zabuza seeks to overthrow the Mizukage. But Zabuza has no use for a weak tool. I no longer have a purpose. Now that you have beaten me, please (tears falling down her face)…finish me. Just end my life."

"I understand your pain Haku, more so than you know. Our lives aren't so different. Like you, I was also an unwanted and hated homeless orphan back in my village. Like you, I carried a burden since my birth which led to me being scorned, bullied, and reviled by everybody of all ages. Many even called for my death when I was an infant. And like you, I found someone precious in my life that I would give my life for," Naruto explained.

Haku, regardless of what happened not too long ago, gave Naruto a sincere smile. "I see that we have more in common after all," she commented.

"Even though I've beaten you, you still have much to live for. You can find a new purpose. You don't have to die here," Naruto encouraged.

"Who would want me, a living weapon with a cursed bloodline limit that has now been proven to be weak?" Haku asked.

"Haku, listen to me!" Naruto spoke, "It's not too late for you! You're very good with herbs so you can become a medic ninja and build a new life again. You can't throw your life away like this!" Haku stared at him quietly. "If Zabuza doesn't want you anymore, just because you aren't an invincible tool, then you are better off without him," Naruto said firmly. Haku was silent.

Naruto, without any hesitation started healing her. 'She won't make it, the wound is too deep, if she dies, I will be the reason for her death' thought Naruto 'No I won't fail, I'll save her'

"You truly are strong…Naruto. Zabuza warned me to be as cautious of you as…I would be with Kakashi. I failed to heed his warning seriously, in spite of the fact that you came close to killing Zabuza days ago. I underestimated your true abilities…while I overestimated my own against yours. I lose…Finish it," Haku requested as she awaited her death at Naruto's hands.

"I won't kill you" Naruto said. He tried to heal him but he died. His eyes started to pain, his chest was filled with guilt for killing him, and he was lost in that moment, and then he fainted, he was waiting for hitting the ground, but it never happened. He opened his eyes to see only to notice that Sasuke was holding him and the other Sasuke was holding Haku. They both **shunshined** from there to where the rest of them were.

**Outside the Dome**

"If sight and hearing don't work, use smell. My dogs went after the smell of my blood on your weapon. Now you won't be able to escape," Kakashi said as electricity started energizing in his left hand.

"Zabuza, you're very much renowned. You tried to take over Mist village, but when you failed and escaped, you started working for scum like Gato to get away from the hunter Nin's. The man you are trying to kill, Tazuna, is important to Land of Waves. Your motivation sacrifices too many lives of the innocent," Kakashi said, his tone cold and hard.

"Spare me your speech Kakashi! As long as I can accomplish my goal, I'm happy," Zabuza replied.

"I'll finish you here," Kakashi said coldly, readying his attack to tear into the man. Naruto and Sasuke arrived there and laid Haku on the ground and went to see Kakashi and Zabuza.

"My, oh my, you sure are getting beat up, aren't you Zabuza," a short man in expensive clothes said. Behind him from the mainland was an army of ex-samurai and rough-looking mercenaries, all of them armed.

"Gato…," Zabuza said as he eyed the man and his army of thugs.

"Oh, there's been a little change in plans. You see, I never intended to pay you," Gato said and laughed.  
>"What?" Zabuza asked angrily.<p>

"Hiring normal ninjas is expensive, so I hire missing Nin's like you. Then I dispose of them when they're tired from battle and no longer serve any use for me. No one misses missing Nin's like you. The Demon of the Hidden Mist, what a joke! You are just a little puppy demon," Gato said, and his thugs laughed at the joke.

"You bastard, you'll pay for double-crossing me!" Zabuza growled at Gato.

"Say what you want, but it doesn't matter. You'll all die here," Gato said as two of his thugs shot arrows straight at Zabuza. Zabuza screamed as two arrows pierce through his chest. Then Gato noticed Haku's body and spoke "Oh, so she is already dead, I would have enjoyed killing her, after what she had done with my arm" and then he placed his leg on her face.

"GET YOUR LEG OFF HER" Naruto yelled  
>"Haku…" Zabuza said softly.<p>

"That stupid girl, she should have stayed out of the way and allowed you to die with what dignity you had left" Gato sneered with contempt. Zabuza stood in a dead silence as he processed what just happened.

Naruto's eyes closed tightly as a beastly growl escaped his mouth. His facial whiskers grew more feral as his fangs grew longer and sharper. His finger nails grew and turned into razor sharp claws, and a red aura appeared around Naruto's body. The aura itself gave off feelings of malevolence and pure hate.

"This is bad," Kakashi muttered as he saw Kyuubi's influence rising from within Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's happening to Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly with a frightened expression. Tazuna was just as scared while Zabuza looked on in wonder. Naruto opened his eyes and gone were the ocean blue eyes everyone was used to seeing. Now in place of them were bloody red eyes with vertical slits for pupils.

"She used herself to save your life, Zabuza. Do you feel anything?" Naruto asked through his growl.

"Haku was a shinobi, an instrument like me. I used her as much as Gato used me. That's all it was. I needed and wanted her bloodline limit, not her," Zabuza answered coldly. Naruto looked back at Zabuza with disgust and indignation.

"Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked

"I have no regrets. We're tools of war, Naruto. That's the shinobi way," Zabuza added. "Haku loved you, Zabuza, more than she should have! You were precious to her, more than her own life! She lived for your dreams without having any of her own! You both have been together for all this time, and all you have to say is that she was a useful instrument? Have you no heart?" Naruto shouted.

"Kid, stop it!" Zabuza requested.  
>"Is that all you have to say?" Naruto asked loudly.<p>

"Please…don't say anything further," Zabuza pleaded as a several tears fell from his eyes as he stood over Haku, "It pained her to have to fight you. She fought not only for me, but for you guys too. She was too kind."

Naruto couldn't think of anything to say, but Zabuza continued, "I'm glad I faced you guys in the end. You may be right, a shinobi is still human. We may not be able to become emotionless tools after all. I've lost."

"What a heart-warming soap opera. I could cry, if I cared. I've had enough of this drama! I have a country to dominate and some troublesome ninja to kill!" Gato said contemptuously.

"Zabuza, lend me your **Executioner's Blade**! Now" Naruto ordered as he went over and took the

Mist Nin's large sword before the older man could give him an answer to his request. Sakura asked with the same scared but worried tone as before, "Naruto, what are you-"

"Just stay with the others, Sakura! I'll handle things from here! Don't any of you argue with me! I'm not in the mood!" Naruto replied darkly with a venomous and murderous tone as bloodlust was pouring out of him in waves. Naruto walked over to Gato and his army while holding Zabuza's Executioner's Blade with his right hand. Despite the size and weight of the sword, it was surprising to everyone that Naruto was able to wield the weapon with only one arm. Gato and his men looked at the possessed-looking Genin, trying to look like they weren't scared by his change of appearance.

"That's a nice trick there boy, but you must be crazy if you think that it'll make me and my men run away from the likes of a child like you," Gato said as confident as possible.

"Among us ninja, Zabuza is renowned as the "**Demon of the Hidden Mist**", and yet even he has a heart and a measure of honour. But unlike Zabuza, you're something far worse; you have a dead heart and no honour. Therefore you'll have to be removed!" Naruto declared as he stood where he was and summoned eight shadow clone, four to his left and four to his right, each holding a copy of Zabuza's giant sword in their hands and looking the exact way Naruto currently looked. All nine of them now started focusing large amounts of wind chakra into the sharp large blades of their Executioner's Blade. After a couple of moments, Naruto yelled, "**Wind Style: Nine Spiralling Guillotines**"

Using powerful wind manipulation with the swords, Naruto, and his eight clones simultaneously slashed their swords, sending out nine powerful razors sharp wind guillotines at Gato and his army. The guillotines tore and shredded through the ground before reaching them. The result was gory and catastrophic as the nine enormous spinning wind blades ploughed through them. Gato's men screamed in agony and dread as the attacks delivered their devastating blows.

"Kakashi-sensei, did you teach Naruto that jutsu," Sakura asked.

"I did not teach him that jutsu as I never seen that jutsu before. I haven't taught him wind manipulation, either," Kakashi answered calmly as he and the others watched Naruto in action.

"What a strong ninja that boy is!" Zabuza marvelled. **Wind Style: Nine Spiralling Guillotines** was the new attack that Naruto was secretly working on over the last two months. Even Sasuke wasn't aware of it. And the fact that he used Zabuza's Executioner's Blade made the attack more devastating than it would have normally been.

When the nine blades died out, Naruto dispelled his clones. With Zabuza's Executioner's Blade in hand and wind chakra still focused around the giant blade with his chakra and gravity restraint seals lowered by several notches, he rushed in with blurring speed to finish off those that survived the attack. All that was seen of Naruto was the occasional orange-red blur.

When it was all over, Gato, who narrowly avoided being killed by Naruto's earlier attack, came out of hiding and saw a sight that left him in a terrifying situation. All of his hired men were dead, slaughtered, and butchered in the most brutal and vicious way he could imagine. Slashed organs, dismembered body parts, and blood of his slain men littered the ground. He stopped when he felt pure bloodlust from behind him. He cowered as he slowly turned and saw a red-eyed and fanged Naruto holding Zabuza's blood-covered Executioner's Blade standing behind him.

"Monster…," Gato said lowly in fear.

"Look who's talking," Naruto remarked darkly as he started to move closer to the man.

"Please! Spare me!" Gato shouted desperately, "I'll give you anything you want! Money, power over Land of Waves! Beautiful women! I'll buy as many as you want!"

"You'll give me what I want? Well, there are a few things you have that I want to retrieve," Naruto replied as he summoned a shadow clone. The clone moved forward and grabbed Gato by his shirt collar. "Take him," Naruto ordered as the clone nodded and body flickered away with Gato, making their way back to the central town of the country and leaving Naruto alone.

**Back at the Bridge**

Despite his injuries, Zabuza stayed behind with Kakashi as they and everyone else hurried to where Naruto was. When everyone arrived on the scene, they found that all of Gato's men are already dead, and Gato was gone, taken by Naruto's clone to an unknown location.

"It's over. Gato's reign over Land of Waves has come to its end," Naruto said calmly after changing back to normal with the red chakra vanishing entirely. His gravity and chakra restraint seals were also returned to their previous levels.

As happy as the people were that Gato was defeated, they couldn't help by feel dread from the gory, bloody, and devastating mess Naruto singlehandedly left behind in his wake. Parents turned their children away from the horrific scene while a couple of the people even vomited after seeing what became of Gato's army and the surrounding environment that was caught in Naruto's wrath. Sakura, who was still carrying Sasuke with his right arm around her shoulders, didn't know what to think as fear of Naruto came over her as she and everyone else looked to see the gruesome carnage Naruto left behind for all to see.

"Magnificent! I never thought Konoha could produce such a powerful Genin who could use a sword with such talent!" Zabuza congratulated. "What have you been teaching the boy, Kakashi?"

"I hate to admit this…but what I'm seeing here is beyond anything I taught my three Genin," Kakashi confessed while wondering if Kyuubi had anything to do with what happened after seeing that red chakra. But Kakashi threw that theory out of the window after considering the fact that in spite of the red chakra he and the others saw, Naruto was still in control of himself and his actions without going berserk.

Naruto went over to Zabuza and returned his blood covered Executioner's Blade. "This came in handy. Pity I can't keep it," Naruto commented.

"Boy, after seeing such a display from you, I'd be honoured to make you my successor, if it were possible," Zabuza remarked and chocked some blood from his mouth and fell on his knees. Naruto tried to heal him but he stopped him and replied "No, don't, It's my time to die. Just take that sword and fulfil your dreams" with that said, he closed his eyes and slowly his pulse started fading.

"Kakashi, please can you bring me close to Haku" Zabuza spoke again. With that said, Kakashi brought him close to Haku, after a moment it started snowing, he spoke again "It seems Haku is crying too"

When his pulse completely faded and he passed, Naruto held his sword and sealed it in a scroll and gave it to Sasuke and spoke "Your skills with swords are better than mine"

He threw the scroll back to Naruto and spoke "Thanks, but it seems the sword work well with wind style while I have fire and lightning, if we come across and lightning sword, then I will take that. That swords belongs to you and Zabuza also wanted to make you his successor, so you should keep it"

"Very well" Naruto spoke and kept the scroll in his pouch

"Naruto, did you really do all this by yourself?" a shocked Inari asked. It was true that Inari, with the aid of Tsunami, rallied the people to stand up against Gato's tyranny. They were inspired to take back what was rightfully theirs, and not let a cruel businessman steal and keep it for himself while they suffer and slowly die out from poverty and despair. The people were ready to fight and go the distance against Gato and his army. But by the look of things, Naruto had beaten everyone to the punch in breaking Gato's hold on their country.

"You wiped out Gato and his entire army all by yourself! You're so strong and amazing! You freed us from Gato's evil rule over us!" Inari praised.

"I didn't do that all by myself Inari. My team and I did that," Naruto said, trying to act as humble as possible, though inwardly he was enjoying the praise and acknowledgment he was receiving.

"But you left behind quite a grisly mess. It'll be a while before we get this all cleaned up," Tazuna remarked with grim expression.

"Leave it to –"Naruto couldn't finish his sentence as Kakashi spoke "-me, you have done enough Naruto, you need some rest to, leave it to me" with that said he gone through some hand signs and yelled "**Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu**" and the whole area was cleaned by a water dragon

Naruto's shadow clone from earlier returned, but not with Gato. He was seen carrying a large briefcase and a small black bag. "So what happened?" Naruto asked.

The shadow clone explained, "I forced Gato to return all the sea ports he bought and to return all of the money he stole from Land of Waves. I then had Gato hand over a huge sum of money to give to the people and Tazuna to finance the completion of the bridge. All of the official documents with Gato's signature and stamp are inside this briefcase along with the money."

"And what became of Gato himself?" Kakashi questioned. Naruto's clone produced Gato's sunglasses, suit, and two expensive gold diamond rings from out of the black bag. All four items were drenched and dripping with fresh blood, and a large stab wound was seen through the suit jacket.

"You won't find a body, so don't ask," the clone stated before puffing out, giving Naruto all of the knowledge he needed to understand what happened. After he did, Naruto saw what became of Gato's body after his clone finished him.

"Shark food," was all Naruto said. All the while his sharingan was activated with a new pattern in it and nobody noticed it except Sakura.

"Naruto, what's with your sharingan, it seems a little different" spoke Sakura. This caught everyone's attention, but mainly it caught Sasuke's attention.

"What do you mean?" spoke Naruto  
>"It seems you have activated you mangekyo" replied Kakashi<br>"How?" asked a shocked Sasuke

"I guess after killing Haku or maybe after I thought that I lost you" replied Naruto  
>"But how?" asked Sasuke again<p>

"She told me her story and when she died, I was guilty of killing her or maybe when I thought you died, the loss of losing a friend was too much for me to bear" replied Naruto

"So it make sense, Itachi told the truth" replied Sasuke  
>"What do you mean by that statement Sasuke" asked Kakashi<br>"Itachi killed Shisui to get his mangekyo" replied Sasuke  
>"But how did you know about mangekyo sensei" asked Naruto<br>"It's because I have mangekyo sharingan too" replied Kakashi showing his mangekyo sharingan to his Genin's

"Don't tell me sensei that you killed someone too to gain those eyes" asked Naruto while Sasuke was still shocked that his sensei not only have the sharingan but the mangekyo too.

"Yes Naruto I killed my other team mate and then I got these eyes" replied Kakashi and continued "My friend Rin was kidnapped by Kiri, Hidden Mist Village and made the jinchuriki of 3-Tailed Beast in order to have her be rescued so the tailed beast could be let loose within Konoha. To ensure the plan's success, various jonin and ANBU-level shinobi by the Hidden Mist Village were sent to feign chasing them so that their return to the village would be hastened. Knowing this, Rin requested me to kill her to protect the village. Though I refused, Rin later intercepted with my Chidori, which was meant to hit a Hidden Mist shinobi, impaling herself on my hand and that's how I got these" Kakashi explained in a saddened tone.

**2 Weeks Later**

Everyone was rested up and ready to go. Kakashi and his team were at the completed bridge with Tazuna and his family. The entire village had also shown up at the bridge to say goodbye to the shinobi who made it possible for them to escape Gato's oppression.

"Our mission here is over. We can finally go back home. I miss Konoha," Sakura said and Kakashi nodded.

"Thanks to you, the bridge is finished. Though this bridge is completed, it's…really sad that you all have to leave," Tazuna said

"Our mission is finished, so we have to return to Konoha," Kakashi said  
>"Please take care," Tsunami said<br>"We will," Sakura answered  
>The villagers gave them their good-byes and best wishes.<br>"We'll visit someday," Naruto said confidently.  
>"You promise?" Inari asked, on the verge of crying.<p>

Naruto nodded with a sad smile and said, "You've grown a lot during these past few weeks Inari. You've proven that in spite of troublesome times, you can inspire and protect those precious to you. Kaiza would have been as proud of you as all of us are." Inari ran up and hugged Naruto, who in turned hugged him back. The dark-haired young boy sobbed a little while embracing the blond who he now looks up to. Inari looked at Naruto with a sad smile and a tear-stained face as he nodded.

"Are you sad that you're leaving, Naruto? It's alright to cry, you know," Inari said.  
>Naruto ruffled Inari's hair before he turned and walked off and said, "Me, cry? No way"<p>

Sakura and Sasuke sweat-dropped upon seeing a few tears escape Naruto's eyes as he wiped them away. Tsunami giggled at Naruto's futile attempts to keep those few tears from falling. Kakashi sighed and shook his head slightly at the scene, as he and his remaining Genin followed after Naruto

"Well, we'll be seeing you later," Kakashi said and turned around to continue on his way with the others. The five ninja walked away, leaving the cheering locals.

"That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed the villagers' hearts. That boy gave us a bridge toward hope and courage," Tazuna said, talking about Naruto.

"The bridge…that's right. We haven't named it yet. We need to name this bridge," one of the villagers said.

Tazuna thought about it for a bit when…"I have the perfect name for it!" Inari exclaimed. "The Great Naruto Bridge"

Tsunami laughed slightly and agreed, "That's a good name."  
>"It's settled, then," Tazuna declared, "This Bridge will be named The Great Naruto Bridge"<p> 


	11. Chapter 10 : The Chunin Exams

**Chapter 10: The Chunin Exams**

**6 Months Later**

Over the past months they had done a lot of missions. But only two stood out, the mission in the wave country and mission in which they were protect Kazahama Kuyoki. The wave mission had been their first mission, and ended up being an A-rank mission because they had encountered an A-rank missing-nin, Zabuza Momochi and his accomplice Haku. Sakura had been a burden in the mission and basically did nothing useful, what she did was to tremble in fear at the thought of dying in her first real mission. They were protecting a bridge builder from a man name Gato. Team 7 did succeed the mission and managed to get Gato killed despite the odds being against them. Naruto had awakened his mangekyo sharingan during the battle in the bridge.

The mission to protect Kuyoki was also a success. They went to the snow country on the mission and found out that Kuyoki was a real princess. The team had thought she just played a princess in movies. Her country was being controlled by her uncle who had killed her father to take over the country. The woman at first had been refusing to accept her role as princess of the country, but after her uncle was killed she finally decided to become ruler of the snow country.

Naruto had learned many things about the **mangekyo sharingan **from the Uchiha library. He learned many abilities like **Amaterasu**, **Kamui**, **Tsukuyomi**, and finally **Complete Body Susanoo**. He still hides his sharingan from everyone else. His wind manipulation skills have gone above the charts; he even combined his wind manipulation with taijutsu forming his own taijutsu style, which he named **Blind Wind Style.** In this style he covers his eyes with cloth and uses his other senses along with vibrations from air molecules around him to fight. His sensory abilities have also gone better and his link with Kuruma is also going good.

Naruto was walking through the streets of konoha, he stopped when he soon heard the sound of small footsteps and the scraping of cardboard behind them meaning. The pair stopped walking as they turned to the box behind them.

'Is that supposed to be a rock' thought Naruto  
>"<strong>What the hell is that?<strong>" asked Kurama

"Don't even ask, what kind of rock is square with two holes? I can see right through that" he replied "Come out Konohamaru. I know you're in that box," Naruto stated as he placed his hands in his pants pocket waiting for the younger boy to come out of hiding, a second later, the square rock with eyeholes in it exploded, sending smoke everywhere. The sounds of multiple coughs were heard, causing Naruto to realize that Konohamaru wasn't the only one in the square box.

"I think we used too much gunpowder," said a young male voice from within the box that Naruto identified as not being Konohamaru. Naruto waited tolerantly for Konohamaru.

"Your ability of seeing through our disguise is incredible. I really admire and respect you, my rival," said Konohamaru as he leaped from the box. The smoke cleared to reveal goggle-wearing kids, two boys, and one girl. They looked up at Naruto before going into a weird pose.

"I'm Moegi, the best kunoichi in school!" replied a girl  
>"I enjoy doing Algebra! My name is Udon!" replied a boy<br>"And I'm the toughest shinobi in the village! My name is Konohamaru!" replied Konohamaru  
>"And we are…The Konohamaru Ninja Corps!" The three eight-year-olds chorused.<p>

"Hey Konohamaru, it's been a while since I last saw you," said Naruto while smiling at the kids in front of him.

"Yeah boss it has. Where have you been? You promised you would play ninja with us when you had the opportunity to, remember?" said Konohamaru pointing to his friends and then Naruto.

"What kind of ninja 'plays' ninja?" asked a less than impressed Sakura as she made her presence known to them as she entered the scene?

"Who's this other girl with the large forehead?" Konohamaru asked, realizing he'd seen her before. Sakura's eye twitched upon hearing how her head was described.

"This is my teammate Sakura, who dreams of becoming the love of Sasuke's life," Naruto replied.

"I thought she looked familiar. She's that girl that almost went into the men's bathhouse by mistake while trying to follow that black-haired guy about a month ago," Konohamaru recalled. Naruto broke into a fit of laughter while Sakura gave a look of shock and embarrassment after being reminded of that incident.

"I almost took her for a very feminine man, given the angle I was seeing her from," Konohamaru remarked. The next thing Naruto and the others saw Konohamaru's face in the ground with a throbbing lump on his head as Sakura stomped away from them. Naruto and the others helped Konohamaru up off ground when he decided to add his extra two cents, "Is this girl even a girl?"

Sakura, who was still in hearing range, stopped upon hearing that. Konohamaru and his friends felt bloodlust coming from the kunoichi he insulted. The three kids ran from the raging Sakura. Not taking any chances with Sakura, Naruto went after them. From what Naruto could tell, Konohamaru was in the lead, with Moegi and Udon following close by. Konohamaru turned the corner and bumped into someone who was now lifting him up into the air.

"You little brat," yelled the older boy, lifting Konohamaru off the ground. Konohamaru opened his eyes to find he was being held up by the collar of his shirt by a person he didn't recognize. The figure was dressed in what looked like a black cat suit with purple paint on his face and a large...thing...being carried on his back.

"Put me down! Let me go!" Konohamaru commanded.

The boy struggled in order to get free from his captor. "You kid! You're the one who bumped into me! I ought to make you pay for that!" said the older figure as he readied to hit the kid.

"Let the kid go, right now!" Naruto commanded as he entered the scene with Sakura following close by.

"Who are you?" the older figure asked.

"The name is Naruto Uzumaki, and the boy you're holding against his will is the grandson of the Third Hokage. I advise you to release the boy from your grasp or face his angry grandfather," Naruto warned. Reluctantly, the older boy lowered the child before releasing the boy. Konohamaru ran over to Naruto and hid behind him.

"Your forehead protectors, you're from Suna, the hidden village in the sand right?" asked Sakura as she recognized the symbols on their shinobi headbands from what Iruka taught them during their time in the Academy.

"We're here for the Chunin Exams. What's it matter to you?" questioned the older blonde girl of the group who was carrying a large fan on her back.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

The older girl stepped forward and replied with a touch of haughtiness in her voice, "I'm Temari."

"I'm her brother, Kankuro," replied the older boy.

"Pathetic," a cold voice suddenly cut in. Everyone looked up to see another figure standing under the branch of another tree next to them. It was a red-haired boy Naruto's age with a large gourd on his back and a red kanji for "Love" tattooed on his forehead.

"G-Gaara," Kankuro said a bit fearfully.

"Kankuro, Temari," Gaara replied dryly, "You're both disgraces to our village."

Kankuro replied, "What? But-"

"Shut up or I'll kill you," Gaara said coldly while looking at Kankuro who cringed on hearing that. Temari was just as fearful as she hoped that Gaara wouldn't hold true to his words and turn on her as well. The red-haired boy then looked at Naruto and said, "I'm Gaara of the sand. I too am here for the Chunin Exams."

Naruto felt a weird vibe circulate through his being upon seeing Gaara. He was sensing a form of chakra that was anything but human. 'That chakra, something about it bothers me. I don't know what but I can't help feel that I know something about it' Naruto thought quietly.

"**He is the jinchuriki of Shukaku, one tailed beast, the Ichibi also known as the sand spirit**" spoke Kurama inside his mindscape and added "**Say hi to him for me, will you**"

"Nice meeting you Shukaku, Kurama said hi" spoke Naruto

Hearing this Shukaku growled inside Gaara's mindscape and Gaara spoke in an odd manner "Mother said hi too, she want your blood"

After hearing the word mother, Naruto and Kurama both burst out laughing and Naruto spoke while Kuruma was still laughing in his mindscape "If your mother want's my blood, then she has to go through my father first" and continued laughing. Kurama was happy that Naruto doesn't hate him and considered him his friend.

While Gaara was furious and Naruto was still laughing, everyone else was confused at the spot about what was going on. Leaving everyone in confusion, Gaara went and Temari and Kankuro followed him and soon after that Naruto went as well, without explaining about a single thing.

**Training Ground 7**

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted his students with his eye smile in place and the ever present orange book present in his right hand.

"What is wrong Kakashi-sensei, why are you are not late?" Sakura said in a low tone.  
>Kakashi smiled, "Nothing is wrong, is it that surprising that I am on time?"<p>

No one answered the question. Sasuke got down to business, "Why did you bring us here Kakashi-sensei? I thought we were still having as time off."

"Can't I just bring you here so that we can get together we are a team after all." Kakashi said flipping a page in his book. Sasuke glared at him, Kakashi sighed at the Uchiha's attitude, "Fine I brought you here because I have some good and important news that I want to tell you." He said taking his eye off his book. Sasuke stopped glaring at him wanting to know the important news the sensei had for them.

"Then let's hear it!" Naruto spoke for the first time since Kakashi appeared.

Kakashi gave them a wide eye smile, "I have nominated you for the Chunin selection exams," he said. Sasuke smiled at the news, it was a great opportunity for him to test his powers against other strong Genin's he would surely meet at the exams. Naruto face remained impassive while Sakura looked unsure. Kakashi took out three pieces of papers handed each to his students, "If you are want to enter the exams, the choice is yours. But if you do decide to take the exams take the forms with you to the academy at room 301, tomorrow at 8am." He said

"Kakashi-sensei, are you sure we are ready to take the exams?" Sakura said not sure if she really wanted to take the exams. She knew she was not strong to take the exams.

Kakashi nodded, "If I did not believe you were ready to take the exams I would never have nominated you. I believe that you are ready you just have to believe in yourselves." He said smiling, "Remember it is a personal choice, no one will force you to take the exams if you decide not to take them. But I must warn you if you do decide to take the exams. You might find yourself facing against strong Genin's like Naruto or Sasuke or someone strong like Haku, I'm sure you do remember her….well see you later!" He said disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sakura paled at the thought of facing someone strong like Haku. Haku had almost killed Sasuke, she could not possibly go against someone he was able to defeat Sasuke. Sasuke was strong and cool if she was to face someone stronger than him she would certainly be killed. She looked at Sasuke, who was smiling it was a true happy smile. She did not want to disappoint him, she could enter ad finally show him that she was strong and not weak as he always said she was.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a small smile, "I hope you enter the exams because I really want to fight you, Naruto. And I meant a real fight and not some spar" He said going away with his smile still in place. He was holding the form firmly as he did not want to lose it. The Chunin selection exam was a good chance for him to test the power of his brother. Sakura also walked away with a lot in her mind. Naruto looked at Sasuke and began to tell him about Gaara and all.

**Next Day – The academy**

Sasuke and Sakura where waiting for Naruto at the Academy entrance. Sasuke had no doubt that Naruto would show up. Sakura was the one had thought would never show up for the exams the girl was weak. Yesterday she did not seem too sure of herself that she would enter. It did not take long for Naruto to appear.

Sasuke shrugged, "Let's go inside." He said turning around to face the academy doors. Both his teammates followed him behind. The academy was full of activities. Naruto was not interested in anything though he just wanted to get over with it. The only person that interested him was the sand Jinchuriki. When Naruto reached the next floor it was to find at least a dozen Genin standing around the designated door with two other Genin blocking said door and beating anyone who tried to get past them.

'Now that's odd, I could have sworn I had only gone up one flights of stairs,' Naruto frowned as he watched the two Genin bully everyone else and replayed the last few seconds in his mind to confirm that he was indeed on the second floor. 'So then how come that door says 30...1...' his eyes widened as he realized what was going on. 'Of course… Idiot! That door obviously has a genjutsu on it or something.'

Genjutsu was one of his worst subjects, he could break out of several C and even a few B-ranked ones thanks to Naruto asking Kakashi to place him under several genjutsu and make him break out of them. However detecting genjutsu was something he still had trouble with, Naruto had to actively pulse his chakra and search his own system to find foreign chakra that would indicate he was in a genjutsu. He could use his sharingan to detect it, but he wanted to do it by himself.

Now that he knew what was going on, Naruto looked over at the two 'Genin' who were guarding the door more closely, If this is a genjutsu then those two must be Chunin who are supposed to keep the unworthy from passing. 'Now that I look at them they do remind me of Kotetsu and Izumo so they must be under henge,' He snorted, 'what a lame ass henge; they didn't even change their appearance just their age. Idiots…' With that sorted out in his mind the whiskered blond began to walk on, ignoring the conversation that was going on at the door.

"C'mon, let us through!" One of the Genin in the hallway yelled.

"You think we're going to let you through just because you tell us too? People die in these exams and those who don't sometimes quit being a shinobi all together simply because of the mental and emotional trauma they go through," The Henged Kotetsu said, "Really, we're doing you guys a favour."

"Please let us through." Another genin said

Naruto stopped just as he was about to reach the exit to the next set of stairs when he heard the familiar voice, turning around he focused his attention on a familiar brown-haired girl. 'Tenten, I should have known her team would be in these exams, they have a year's worth of experience over me and their sensei is a training nut after all.'

"Didn't you hear me," Kotetsu said as he reared his fist back. "I said get lost!" He threw his fist at Tenten. However before it could hit Naruto intercepted with it.

"Now that's not very nice," Naruto said with a slight grin. The spiky haired blond continued, "Didn't your mother teach you not to hit a lady?"

"We were just doing her a favour," Izumo replied, trying to regain his bravado. "I suggest you heed our advice, this exam isn't for something just anyone can take and hope to survive."

Naruto smirked as he let go of Kotetsu's hand, "Don't worry, I was just looking for my friend who you were about to hit by the way." He turned her around and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, leading her to where he saw Neji. When they had gone a certain distance away, Naruto leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You do realize that this is the second floor right?"

Tenten looked at him strangely, "The second floor? But that door said…" Her eyes widened a bit as she remembered going up only two flights of stairs. She turned a glare on Neji, "Why didn't you tell me we were only on the second floor!"

Neji shrugged, "I did not deem it necessary."

Tenten scowled a bit while Naruto rolled his eyes, "You know you sure treat your teammates like shit. Has anyone ever told you that you're a douchebag?"

Neji's eyes narrowed at Naruto, and veins began to pulse around his eyes as he activated his Byakugan in an effort to enhance his glare. The two of them had never gotten along; Naruto was a lot more like Lee, believing that hard work can overcome anything, including genius. While Neji believed everything was controlled by fate and had gone out of his way to inform the blond on the error of his ways on many occasions. Needless to say whenever the blond would come and train with team nine the two would always butt heads.

"Drop the genjutsu and let us pass!" The pair both turned around to see Sasuke standing there with a smirk on his features as he looked at the two disguised Chunin at the door, "Sakura noticed it the moment we got here. Isn't that right Sakura?"

Despite being surprised by the raven-haired Genin's words, Sakura became ecstatic that her Sasuke-kun was involving her in something. She nodded her head and immediately backed him up, "Yeah, that's right! We're only on the second floor. It's so obvious even a child could see through it."

Naruto groaned as the pair made asses of them; even he could tell this was supposed to weed out the losers who would not even stand a chance in the exams.

"So you noticed it did you?" Kotetsu smirked as the genjutsu on the door was dispelled, revealing it to be the second floor, "Impressive. But just because you saw through it, doesn't mean you good enough to enter!" Kotetsu launched a kick at Sasuke who retaliated with a kick from the opposing leg. However both kicks were caught by the green blur that was Lee, who managed to catch both their legs with just one hand.

"Now is not the time to be fighting," The green clad Genin said in a calm voice, releasing their legs. That guy caught both our legs like it was nothing, Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at the green clad Genin; he must have some serious chakra in his hands.

"Way to go and make an ass of yourself" Naruto said as he made his way over to them. "I can't believe you actually let all these people pass. Now we're going to have to content with a bunch of losers who couldn't even see through a simple genjutsu."

"Lee, what happened to disguising our strength? I thought that was your idea," Neji said with a frown. "Wasn't that the plan we agreed on?"

"Yes but…" Lee turned his attention to Sakura and blushed  
>'Oh boy here it comes,' thought Naruto as he resisted the urge to snicker.<br>"You are Sakura-san yes?" asked Lee as he appeared in front of her.  
>"Umm…yeah," Sakura replied, taking a step back from the creepy spandex wearing Genin.<p>

"I am Rock Lee. Let's go out sometime, I will protect you with my life," Lee gave her the nice guy pose complete with gleaming teeth and wink.

"Umm…no," Sakura said in a deadpan voice.  
>Anime tears began to stream down Lee's face, "But why not?"<br>"Because you're weird," Sakura stated, causing Lee's shoulders to slump.

Naruto snickered a bit before patting Lee on the back, "There, there Lee. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

Neji just sneered as he watched his teammates and the blond kid who occasionally trained with them. He turned his attention to Sasuke, "You, what's your name?"

"Hm," Sasuke smirked, "Isn't it considered proper manners to give your name before asking for someone else's?"

"C'mon idiot, let's go or we're gonna be late!"  
>"Hey!" Naruto ripped her hand off of his clothes, "Hands off the merchandise"<p>

Tenten watched Team seven leave, shaking her head in amusement. "Tenten" Neji called, making her turn her attention to him, "Let's go before the exam starts."

"Oh right. I'm coming," Tenten began walking in Neji's direction before she stopped when she noticed her green clad teammate was standing still, looking in the direction Naruto's team had left in, "Lee, you coming or what?"

Lee who had not been following them turned and looked at her, "You and Neji may go on ahead, there is something I need to check out. Do not worry, I will catch up."

Tenten looked at him for a moment before she shrugged and began following Neji. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura walked towards the set of stairs that were in front of them. However as the moved they saw Rock Lee standing on the next floor with a serious expression on his face.

"You, the one with the black eyes and bad attitude, I wish to challenge you," Lee jumped off the stairs and landed in front of them. "My name is Rock Lee."

The green clad Genin got into the beginning stance for what Naruto knew was the Goken, feet together with one fist tucked into his side and his other hand out in a 'bring it on' gesture. "You said it was common courtesy to give your name before asking for someone else's. Am I right?"

Sasuke smirked as he looked at the kid and gave him an answer, "Sasuke Uchiha."

"So it is true. You are this year's Rookie of the Year that everyone has been talking about. It would be an honour to fight you," Lee exclaimed. "Fight with me I would like to see if you really are good. I'm a taijutsu specialist if I want to be the best I must beat what is considered the best." He turned towards Naruto and spoke "I want to fight you too, Gai-sensei told me you are the best taijutsu user among all genin, and I want to test my taijutsu skills with yours"

Sasuke was about to accept the offer but Naruto stopped him and spoke "Lee, I am sorry but we can't, what say we continue this after the genin exams or in the genin exams" hearing this Lee nodded and went with his team.

Team 7 walked towards room 301 in silence. They reached the doors and were stopped from opening the door when Kakashi appeared between them and the door. Kakashi's eye smile was in place as well as his orange book, make out paradise.

"Kakashi-sensei what are you doing here?" Sakura asked looking at her sensei.

Kakashi was a little surprised that Sakura had decided to enter the exams. He looked at Sasuke; Sasuke was the reason the girl entered the exams. If Sasuke was not in her team she would never have entered the exams. With the look he saw on her face yesterday it was truly a surprise that she decided to come. 'I should not be surprised' Kakashi thought to himself. There was really nothing that Sakura would not do for Sasuke.

He sighed and closed his book, "I'm glad that you all decided to take part in the exams," he said, "But to be honest with you, the Chunin selection exams can only be taken by a team of three. For example if Sakura had decided against taking part in the exams Naruto and Sasuke would have been eligible to take part in the exams."

Sakura felt relieved that she had decided to take part in the exams or she would surely have disappointed Sasuke. She had no doubt that Naruto was going to participate but that would not have mattered had she decided against participating in the exams. Sasuke would have been upset with her had she stood in the way of him taking part in the exams. She looked at her sensei, "Why did not you tell us that yesterday?"

"I wanted everyone to participate on their own choices not because they were forced to. If you had decided not to take part in the exams Sasuke would have forced you to enter." He replied earning a nod from Sakura. She knew it too well Sasuke would have forced her to enter the exams. She was not sure how Naruto would react if she had chosen not to enter, but thinking of it Naruto might have cared either way.

"Sakura don't allow yourself to be a burden to your teammates," Kakashi said firmly, Sakura nodded she had always needed to her teammates to carry her. Even Naruto did look out for her at sometimes even though she knew he didn't give a damn about what happened to her. "Well then, good luck" Kakashi said as he disappeared in swirl of leafs. Even though Sakura was weak he was not a bit worried about her for he knew that her teammates would look out for her.

Naruto stepped forward and opened the door, and his teammates followed him as he entered room 301. The moment they entered the room they were greeting by killing intents from different directions. Sasuke and Naruto shrugged it off even though it made him a bit uncomfortable, he had come across killing intents that made him want to kill himself so this was nothing. Sakura held her hands together she was a bit scared now because the killing intents were too much for her.

There were a lot of Genin's in the room. They had not expected the participants to be in the exams. "There sure are a lot of them." Sakura commented earning a nod from Sasuke. It did not matter to Sasuke though, he was happy, so many participants meant he would have more competition.

"Sasuke you are late!" Ino yelled as she jumped on Sasuke's back placing her head on his shoulder. It was obvious that Sasuke was annoyed by the girl's actions. One would see it because the Uchiha's eyes were twitching. He was not the only one who was annoyed by Ino's actions. Sakura was displeased she grew a tick mark on her forehead. Ino did not see Sakura she was busy with her Sasuke, "It has been long since we last saw each other Sasuke! How have you been?" Ino asked.

If Sasuke was going to respond he never got the chance to do so, "Get away from Sasuke, Ino pig!" She yelled angrily as she marched to get Ino off Sasuke. There was only one girl for Sasuke and that girl was her not Ino.

Ino took notice of Sakura's presence in the room. She looked back at Sakura and smirked, "If it isn't big ugly forehead Sakura, I thought you would be at home playing make up." She said. Sakura grew another tick mark on her forehead Ino was making her look bad in front of Sasuke. She could not tolerate something like that. No it was unacceptable.

"You are guys are taking the troublesome exams too, this is so troublesome." A lazy voice of Nara Shikamaru spoke knocking Sakura off her thoughts. Naruto looked at the genin and did something that shocked both Sasuke and Sakura.

"I found you!" Kiba yelled as he made his way to the group, "Looks like everyone has assembled." He said as his teammates joined the group from behind the Genin. Shino still had his impassive expression while Hinata like…well Hinata. She greeted the group and started to poke her fingers as soon as she laid her eyes on Naruto. A pink tint appeared on her cheeks. Naruto noticed but shrugged it off. He was not the only who noticed in the group.

"Not you guys too, this is has become too troublesome." Shikamaru said with a sigh as he looked at Team 8.

"Yeh, we are! And guess what." Kiba said, "Together we make the rookie nine of Konoha!" he yelled not hiding his excitement. Akamaru barked in agreement to his masters words, "This is the first time in years that rookies took part in the Chunin selection exams, and we are the ones to do it!" He said showing that he did read a bit of history.

"You seem rather confident Kiba." Sasuke said with a smirk on his face.

Kiba snorted, "Of course I am confident," he said, "We did a lot of training since we became genin and we won't losing to the likes of you like we did in the academy." He said confident that he could beat someone like Sasuke. Sasuke snorted there was no way someone like Kiba would take him down. Kiba was saying what he was saying because he had a mouth to speak.

Naruto looked away from the group as he sensed someone coming close to the group. "You guys should be quiet! Aren't you the rookie Genin's?" I silver haired genin said as he approached the group. The group took a look at him. The genin had silver hair, his eyes were small and black in colour, and he wore large round glasses. He had a konoha forehead protector tied on his forehead signifying that he was a shinobi from Konoha. He wore dark purple pants with a shuriken holster on his right hip, dark purple shirt, and black shinobi sandals. He looked to be in his early twenties If not late teens. "You are screaming like a bunch of kids! This is not a game." He said earning glares from some of the Genin's.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Sasuke said feeling insulted by the Genin's remark.

"Me?" the elder genin asked half surprised, "I'm Kabuto but I'm not the one you should be worried about. Look behind you." He said.

The rookies looked behind them to see pissed off Genin's staring at them. Naruto did not bother to look around they could stare at him all they liked he would not care. It was not like they could do anything to him. Most of the Genin's felt nervous because of the glares that they were receiving from the other participants. It was like the whole room was against them. Ino and Sakura paled seeing the glares if there was a bed somewhere in the room they would rush over to it and hide under it. Hinata was quick to get behind Kiba; she was using Kiba as her shield. Naruto looked at Kabuto with an unreadable expression. There was defiantly suspicious about Kabuto.

"Those guys are from the Village Hidden in Rain, they have short tempers. You may want to keep your voices down to avoid making them angry." Kabuto said looking at the Rain Genin's. The rookies looked at the Rain Genin's, they indeed looked like trouble. Their glares were enough to make the female rookies shudder. "Well I guessed I can't blame you. You are clueless rookies after all." He said as he glanced at Sasuke.

Naruto noticed this it was not the first time Kabuto looked at Sasuke with interest. Sasuke was unaware of the glances Kabuto was giving him. But Naruto could tell that Kabuto took interest in Sasuke, "Well I guess you guys do remind me of myself." Kabuto said in mirth.

"So this is your second time taking part in the exams?" Sakura asked with a bit of hesitant

"No this is my seventh time actually. The Chunin selection exams are held twice a year so this also makes it my fourth year taking the exams." Kabuto replied with a small smile. Kiba whistled the exams must be hard if a person can fail them six times. Naruto raised a brow,

'Seven times taking the exams' Naruto thought. He could not have failed so many times unless he was doing it intentionally. He could not see how anyone would fail the Chunin exams seven times. Even someone with half brains could not fail the exams so many times.

"Since you guys remind me of me, I will show you what I have gathered for the exams." he said taking out a deck of cards from his pouch, "These are nin-info cards! I have gathered information on every participant in the exams."

"Do you have information on individuals?" Sasuke asked clearly interested

"You are worried about someone?" Kabuto asked with a smirk looking at Sasuke, "My info is not perfect, but it not the same as having nothing," he said, "Just tell me the name of the person and I will tell you what I know about the person." Kabuto said pushing his glasses up, something that seemed to be a habit of his.

"Give me information on Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke said. The other Genin's were not clearly interested in learning something about Naruto. Naruto looked at Kabuto wondering what Kabuto had on him.

'What the hell? Is he trying to blow my cover? You'll pay for this Sasuke' thought Naruto

Kabuto nodded and began to read one of his cards, "Naruto Uzumaki genin from Konoha. He graduated as a dead-last but changed afterwards. Nobody really knows what happened. He is in team 7 along with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha their Jonin-sensei being Kakashi Hatake. Naruto has completed 45 D-rank missions, 10 C-rank mission, and 2 A-rank missions along with his teammates. He specializes in taijutsu, ninjutsu, fuinjutsu, kenjutsu. His speed is said to rival that of a jonin and can defeat some Jonin's in a pure taijutsu fight. He has also completed a solo B rank mission before he became a genin and single handily defeated a Chunin" Kabuto read.

"Hey when did you guys get to do A-rank missions?" Kiba asked, of all what Kabuto had read to them the fact that team 7 had done A-rank missions was more important to him more than info on Naruto.

No one in team 7 answered his questions. 'His information is accurate' Naruto and Sasuke thought, the info Kabuto had on him was the same as the one that konoha had on him in their records.

"When did you get a solo B rank mission and why I was not invited" asked Sasuke  
>"Mizuki incident" was all Naruto said and he understood. Sasuke nodded and kept his mouth quiet. Nobody else knew anything, but they weren't interested to know.<p>

"Can you give me information of Gaara of the sand and Sasuke Uchiha?" Naruto spoke for the first time since he entered the room.

'Going after me, eh Naruto, I will definitely enjoy this' thought Sasuke

Kabuto nodded, "Gaara of the sand, genin from the village hidden in the Sand. His sensei is Baki; teammates are his siblings Temari and Kankuro. Gaara has done 15 D-rank missions, 7 C-rank missions, 5 B-rank missions, 3 A-rank missions. In all his missions he has never been hurt; he comes back without an injury. He has a sand defence that protects him, it is said that his sand defence is the ultimate defence. His ninjutsu is based on sand only; his taijutsu is poor, and genjutsu." Kabuto read out looking the expressions of the Genin's. Most of them were sweating cold; a genin who goes on an A-rank mission and comes back without an injury was someone they did not expect to come across. Kabuto smirked at their reactions; even Sasuke seemed a little over the edge by the information he read.

"Sasuke Uchiha genin from Konoha, he graduated as the rookie of the year. He is in team 7 along with Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki their Jonin-sensei being Kakashi Hatake. He specializes in taijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu. His speed is said to rival that of a jonin and can defeat some Jonin's in a pure taijutsu fight."

"I will tell you the contestants you should avoid in the -" Kabuto spoke but was cut off by Naruto.

"There are no other strong contestants, the rest are weak" Naruto said a little too loud. All the contestants heard him but Naruto did not care of they did. A team of Sound Genin's did not take Naruto's words kindly. They were going to show Naruto who was weak.

"Let's show the blond that we are not weak." One said in a rough voice earning nods from his teammates. They were about to charge at Naruto when a puff of smoke was born within the room.

"I will not accept that kind of behaviour in here got that!" A figure that was one with the smoke that had been born within the room said sternly glaring at the students. He leaked out a dose of his killing intent to make his point. The killing intent prompted the Genin's to nod vigorously. The figure smile, "Alright you maggots take you sits now!" He said in a firm voice making the Genin's hurry up to take their sits. The Genin's took each of their assigned sits and looked back at the man in front of the room.

"I am Morino Ibiki! I am the proctor of the first test of the Chunin selection exams!" The proctor introduced himself to the Genin's. "Those who do not follow my rules will automatically fail!" He said as he released a burst of KI scaring some Genin's in the room.

"The first test will be a written test." he said as Chunin's began to drop papers in front of each sited Genin. "The rules of exams are as follows and there will be no questions asked" He said with a commanding tone releasing his KI to make it clear that he was serious. He tapped the chalkboard in front of the Genin's and the rules appeared.

"Chunin selection exam test rules! Rule 1: test takers start off holding a perfect test score of 10 points. The test itself has 10 points for each question answered incorrectly a point is deducted. Rule 2: The test is a team event. The passing score of each team is calculated by adding the scores if each team member all together. Rule 3: those caught cheating will have two points deducted for each offence. Rule 4: those who lose all their points or do not answer any question correctly will fail along with their teammates." all Genin's read from the board. Some looked at their teammates to see if they were prepared. If Naruto was still stupid Sakura would have been worrying about Naruto. But she had nothing to worry about he was smart enough to pass the test. She did not have to worry about Sasuke either.

"I expect nothing but the best from Genin's trying to become Chunin!" He paused looking at every Genin in the room "You will only answer questions 1 to 9. The 10th question will be answered after we finish the first 9. The exam with be for 45 minutes BEGIN!" He yelled the last part as the Genin's flipped their papers.

Naruto looked at the questions and raised an eyebrow. Had he not been reading different books and scrolls ever since he was six he would never be able to answer any of the question. He was thankful that the hokage had brought him all those books he had brought for him to read. The questions were difficult but he could answer them. He was sure that not even some Chunin's could answer the type of questions that are within the papers. It only meant that they did not expect all of them to pass. Naruto thought for a moment before narrowing his eyes around the room. Sasuke had his sharingan activated copy others movements, he was doing well. If it was not for the fact that he had been hiding his dojutsu he would have surely doing the same as Sasuke just to make things interesting. He looked at room and seemed like most are cheating. 'Information gathering' Naruto thought looking at the Genin's who were cheating. He concluded that they are excepting the Genin's to cheat without getting caught. It was a test to see if one had information skills. Such skills were useful for missions.

The Hyuga's had their Byakugan activated. The Byakugan was a useful tool for something such as gathering information because of its ability to see through solid objects. They did call it the all Seeing Eye. Hinata looked to be checking him out he figured the girl might have been looking to see if she could help him since he had not yet answered any questions. He sighed and began to answer the questions. A few Genin's got caught cheating which resulted in them being thrown out of the room.

They were thrown out because they had been denying that they were cheating the exams. If ones teammate got caught it meant it was all over for the whole team. Something like this could break and make a team. The others could blame the one who got caught for their failure. Which would be true, had he not been caught they would never had failed the exam. But some would help each seeing that their teammate lacks in information gathering skills.

The 45 minutes was over and Ibiki stopped them from answering any more questions. "We will now begin with the tenth and final question!" He announced making everyone look up to him. "Now before we begin I should tell you that there is an added rule to the question." "Now this rules of are of desperation." He paused to let the words sink into their heads. "The first rule is whether or not you will take the question." he said making the Genin's look at him confusedly.

Temari, Naruto recognized asked a question for everyone. "What will happen if we choose not to take the question?" She asked curiously.

"If you choose not to take it your points will be dropped to zero and you will fail along with your teammates." He spoke.

"Then we take the question!" A genin yelled out standing up from position. The other Genin's nodded in agreement with him

"Another rule is associated with this question. If you take the question and answer it incorrectly, that person will lose the right to become Chunin ever again." Ibiki stated with a serious tone making them believe that he was dead serious.

Well apparently Kiba did not get it he shouted his thoughts. "What kind of stupid rule is that! There are people who have taken the exam multiple times right here!" He shouted pointing at Kabuto who had told the rookie nine that he had been taking the exams for the fourth year now.

Ibiki smirked, "You guys are just unlucky this is this year's rule." some Genin's began to look at their teammates trying to figure out what they were going to do. Whether take the question and risk being unable to become a Chunin should they fail. Naruto just set there looking calm as always.

"But I am a nice guy." He said getting the attention of the murmuring Genin's. "I am giving you a chance to choose whether to take the question or not," he paused for a moment to let them think "Now let's begin with the tenth question. Those who do not wish to take the question may raise their hands and once their numbers have been confirmed they may leave."

'I have to stay calm and follow the lead teammates' Sakura thought to herself as she'd at Sasuke and Naruto who both looked calm.

Silence engulfed the room as everyone was in their thoughts. "I-I can't take it." A random genin said as he stood up and began to leave the room. His teammates were behind him. Some also raised their hands; there were quite a number of them who left because of fear. Naruto just shook head at their actions, fear was really strong to use. The numbers died down and almost half of the participants had left.

And then people stopped raising hands. Naruto looked at Sakura; she seemed to be calm which was good. He would have hated if she was to rise up her hand and get them disqualified. He needed to test the Ichibi's jinchuriki's power.

"I will repeat this once, your whole life is riding on this, and this is your last chance!" He said giving the Genin's a last chance to quiet the test. None raised their hands they just looked at the proctor with confident looks. He looked around that were left and sighed. 27 teams Anko was not going to be happy about it.

"Good decision! To everyone still remaining here I would like to congratulate you on passing the first test of the Chunin selection exams." Ibiki said with a small smile. Silence engulfed the room they were shocked at what the man had just said.

"What! What about the tenth question?" Temari shouted.

"There is not tenth question." Ibiki said as he began to explain what he had done. It was that Chunin captains had a responsibility to take missions, "When facing with the decision on which mission to take. You might get a mission you have no info about. You would have to gather information. You also cannot refuse a mission simply because it is too dangerous. The type of thinking 'We will do it again next year' was not a mentality of a Chunin."


	12. Chapter 11 : The Forest Of Death

**Chapter 11: The Forest Of Death**

Naruto sensed someone approaching the window fast. By the looks of things the person was going to crash into the window. The windows shattered and the Genin looked to see a burner that read 'The sexy second exam proctor Anko Mitarashi'

"All right brats there is no time for celebrations I am the second exam proctor now follow me!" the female standing beside the burner yelled. She had violet hair, her eyes where brown. She wore an overcoat, with a fitted mesh body that stretched from her neck to her thighs and a dark orange mini-skirt.

The Genin's got from their sits and followed her. They followed her till they reached a fence. Behind the fence was the forest. It gave all bad vibes to the Genin. They were signs if danger all over fences. It signified that it was a dangerous place. Anko had a too sweet smile upon seeing the forest as if she was familiar with it. Naruto knew the woman was always at the forest of death playing with her snakes. It was creepy.

"This is training ground 44 also known as the 'Forest of Death' it will be the stage of the second Chunin selection exam." Anko said with a grin.

"This place gives me the creeps." Sakura said. She had never been to the place but the weird feeling she was feeling about it was enough to creep her out. Naruto was beginning to get bored now. They should have just let them go into the forest without telling anything. Those who did not know the forest would see that the forest was like with their own eyes. He really did not have to listen to someone explain to him something that he already knew.

"You will find out soon why this place is called the forest of death." She said with a smirk. The Genin's gulped, some shuddered. They did not hope to find out why the place was called a forest of death. Naruto could tell that Anko liked to plant seeds of fear within the hearts of other people.

"Before we start I would like you to sign these papers." She said as she held a paper in her hand, the Genin looked at her curiously, "In this test there will be killings, and I don't want to be responsible for your deaths so you have to sign these wavers." The Genin looked at her some thinking they should quit, they were going to do the second test in a place called a forest of death and now there was going to be some killings in the forest, it was too much for some Genin's. "I will explain the test before you sign the wavers. This test will be a survival test; the training ground 44 has locked gates, a river, forest and a tower at the centre. From each gate there is about 10km until the tower," She paused for a moment to let them digest her words.

"In this training ground you will compete in an all-out, no rules scroll battle. Each team will be given one heaven or earth scroll. For a team to pass you have to present both heaven and earth scrolls to the tower in the centre of the training ground. There is a time limit; you have only five days to get into the tower with both scrolls to pass the test. If you arrive after 120 hours you will fail the test. There is not quitting once you enter the training ground. You will in there for five days." she said to the listening Genin.

"What about food?" Choji asked while eating snacks. He was worried that he would have to be trapped in the training ground without barbecue and chips.

"The forest is full of food, all you have to do is avoid man-eating bugs, poisonous insects and plants," The genin shuddered at the thought of being eaten by bugs. The forest was indeed a scary place, "The forest will be full of enemies, so if you get to the tower faster with both scrolls you will avoid enemies," She paused for a moment before going on "Now let's get on to who gets disqualified, the first I have already told you, which is not being able to get to the tower with both scrolls and in time," She said as the Genin nodded. "Second is those who lose a teammate or a teammate gets killed. Lastly you must not open the scroll before you reach the tower. As Chunin you be expected to courier important documents. This will be a test to your trustworthiness." She finished her explanation to the Genin's.

"Come on now and take the wavers and sign them!" She said as the Genin's went over to her and took the wavers to sign. Some were hesitant to do so, but everyone singed them and handed them to Anko. She had given each team their scroll, but did it in a way that no team would know which team held an earth or heaven scroll. This would avoid a team going to a specific team; it would also cut down numbers because a team would take a scroll from another team they have defeated even though it is the same as theirs. She did not tell them that, they did not need to know it. "Final word of advice, don't get killed!" She said with a maniacal grin that had the Genin think that she wanted them to kill each other. Each team went away to their assigned gate and got ready for the second test.

**The Forest Of Death**

Team 7 entered the welcoming mouth of training ground 44. Death and all its friends sang songs that boomed inside their heads. Darkness ate all the light within the forest. One could only imagine the horrors the trees have had to witness within the forest.

Naruto looked at his teammates as they slowly walked within the forest. Sasuke seemed fine, but Naruto could see a bit of excitement from the Uchiha. The atmosphere of the forest could make anyone who enjoyed a good challenge feel a ting of excitement invading their bodies. Sakura on the other hand seemed to too sure of herself.

They had yet to make plans on how they should proceed in the forest. Ever since they touched the belly of the forest they had yet to speak. Naruto did not mind the silence he would rather have the silence than to have Sakura spouting nonsense. Sasuke stopped walking getting his teammates to follow his lead.

He seemed to have lost all his excitement and the cold emotionless gaze that seemed to be part of his face had returned from its vacation, "We should make plans here, before we go any further into the forest." he said looking at both his teammates.

"We should stay together as a team and not separate. I can take care of myself, but if I were to separate myself from you and you happen to come across another team Sasuke won't be able to protect himself and you," he said looking at Sakura straight in her eyes, "We should just go ahead straight to the tower. I am sure we will come across a team while we head to the tower."

Sakura had no objections to what Naruto had said. They would have to be together till they reach the tower. She felt a little sad that Naruto had pointed that she needed to be protected by her teammates she was not that weak.

Sasuke nodded but still, "What if we reach the tower without coming across another team?" he asked  
>"Then will hunt a team to get what we want, now let us move on!" Naruto said<p>

His teammates followed him behind. The plan was simple and it would have them get to the tower faster. They were given a maximum of five nights to get to the tower, but one could get to the tower in the second day of the exams. Sasuke wanted to fight someone he had yet to fight anyone since the exams. But this test gave birth to a chance for him to fight someone. He would have to make sure that he did not leave the forest without testing his power against Genin's from other villages.

The team walked for a few hours. Day was already calling for night to take over its rein. They had to clash with another team. They had been walking on a rather relaxed pace. It was something that was done with the thought of Sakura in mind. The girl had a low stamina, running for an hour and he would have forced them to take a break. It was better to just walk for the day that is tomorrow they would quicken their pace to ensure that by the end of the day they had reached the tower. They could worry about getting the scroll they needed while they made their way to the tower.

**A few hours later**

They had been travelling for 3 hours. It was not nonstop they had to take a few breaks to allow Sakura to regain her strength. Had it not been for the girl they would have covered a lot of ground by now. It annoyed both Naruto and Sasuke and the number of breaks they had to take because Sakura always got tired after running for a few minutes. Sakura was by no means a stamina freak like Naruto. Naruto had more stamina than Kakashi so she could not compare herself with him. She had only seen him slightly winded once. But even when he was winded he would still push further like he was not tired. She did not understand where he got his energy from. He always seems to have more energy than anyone. Even at the academy he always seemed energetic.

Naruto, who was in the lead suddenly stopped and motioned for his teammates to do the same? He looked at his left side there were three dark shadows that had been following them for the past hour. He had sensed them the moment they started to shadow them. He thought they would go away seeing that team 7 had its guard always on. He knew they had been waiting for an opportunity to present it and they would try them.

"What is it Naruto?" Sakura asked the blond.

"Someone strong is following us." After those words left Naruto mouths gusts of winds hit the Genin's sending them flying. Even Naruto was caught; he had not been fast enough to react after sensing the chakra build up. The gusts of wind were strong but other than sending team 7 crashing towards the trees there was no injuries suffered.

A Nin wearing a Kusa forehead protector appeared in front of the genin. The Kusa-nin was a woman. She unleashed her murderous killing intent. She enjoyed the look of fear her killing intent brought to her preys. She could never pass a chance to plant a seed of fear in her preys it was always fun watching them cower in fear, it soothed her soul. The Genin's froze at their places. The killing intent had put them under an illusion. They watched themselves being killed in any ways. It was horrifying watching your own death.

None was affected more than Sakura. The girl was on her knees shuddering with eyes wide. The experience she was having now was far worse than what she had experienced at the wave mission when Zabuza had unleashed his killing intent. It was unbearable, she wished nothing more than death to make her one with it.

Sasuke had thought it was genjutsu at first when he was seeing his death. But he had come to a realization that it was not illusion, it was just the effects of a killing intent by the Kusa-nin. His body failed to obey any command his mind. His mind was screaming for his legs to carry him and run away. But all it got was silence from the feet. The pressure of the killing intent was so much that he too was forced into his knees. But he was not shuddering like Sakura. This time he could not blame the girl for shuddering in fear. Even he was doing his best to keep fluids from escaping his body.

After sweating a few bullets he shrugged off the killing intent and looked at the Kusa-nin with an unreadable expression. The Kusa-nin seemed amuse by seeing Naruto shake off her killing intent. She could do worse than she was doing at the moment. But she chose not to. Her tongue escaped from her mouth and extended into a length that no human tongue should. The tongue kissed the frames of her mouth as she got ready to play with her preys.

The Kusa-nin dashed forward at Sasuke who was still suffering from the pressure of the killing intent. To him it felt like earth had brought out her hands and gripped him tightly. Upon seeing the Kusa-nin charging at him, Sasuke took out a Kunai stabbing himself to wear off the killing intent. His plan worked as he recovered and jumped away in time to avoid being hit by the Kusa-nin. He jumped on a tree branch and stared back at the Kusa-nin.

Naruto found himself staring at yellow silted eyes of a large snake. The snake could chew him to bits without breaking a sweat. Its eyes shined with a glint of malice as its fangs extended from its mouth. The snake rushed at him at fast speeds. His attention was no taken away from the Kusa-nin and Sasuke. He jumped up to avoid the snake's mouth. The snake followed him, its head crashed into a tree he was on breaking it.

Naruto wondered what a snake was doing here. Of all the times it just chose to attack him while his team was being attack at the same time. It was too much of a coincident. Naruto stretched out his senses finding that the Kusa-nin was still fighting with Sasuke and there was no other person other than Sakura near the place.

He looked into the snake's eyes and activated his sharingan. His sharingan morphed into his six-bladed Mangekyo. Naruto closed his right eye and concentrated his left eye on the snake. "**Amaterasu**" He muttered as black flames engulfed the snake. The hissed in pain inflicted on it by the black flames. The snake began to roll uncontrollably on the ground while the black flames ate it.

Naruto looked away from the snake and wiped off the blood leaking from his left eye. He was glad that for the exams he had no shadows following him. He blurred away but not before deactivating his sharingan. Had he stayed a bit longer he would have seen the snake burst into a puff of smoke.

**With Sasuke and Sakura**

After Orochimaru used that strange technique, he just settled for two Kunai's and threw them at the still frightened Genin's. Sasuke saw the Kunai's, but could do nothing. He, then, grabbed a kunai of his own and pierced his own thigh, in order to somehow wake him up from the trance Orochimaru placed them in. Quickly, he grabbed Sakura, saving her from the kunai. Still, Orochimaru pressed on his taunting attack, forcing Sasuke on the defensive. The raven haired genin was beginning to cower in fear upon seeing a snake appear behind him. Sasuke screamed at his opponent, more like begging him to leave him alone, before throwing various shuriken's at the snake, killing it. However, once more Orochimaru appeared from within the snake, licking his lips while doing so.

"You can't let your guard down Sasuke. A prey needs to strain their minds all the time and run around in the presence of the predator" Orochimaru said, before extending his body like a snake and charging at Sasuke. However, before he could reach the already cowering Sasuke, a few Kunai's and shuriken's appeared in front of him, stopping his path just as Naruto shouted.

"Sorry I was late Sasuke. I had to deal with something on the way here" Naruto shouted as Orochimaru looked at the blond, wondering what happened to the snake he sent to deal with the annoying brat.

"Wait a minute…" Sasuke called, before reaching for the scroll inside his holster. "In exchange for letting us go, we surrender our scroll to you. There, take it…" Sasuke said, much to Sakura and Naruto's shock and confusion.

Orochimaru just smirked at the brat's cleverness. "Smart kid…in order to save yourself, you give the predator something more precious in return. However, it seems that the Uchiha Clan's pride is non-existent if the heir acts all cowardly like this" The obvious jab was meaningless when compared to Sasuke's survival at this point.

"Just take it and leave…" He threw the scroll towards Orochimaru who smirked as he watched the artefact approaching his position slowly. When the snake was about to get it, though, the scroll suddenly vanished as Naruto appeared on the tree next to them holding the scroll. Sasuke was beyond pissed at the blond for his stupidity, as he shouted for the blond to give the scroll to the enemy immediately. Naruto took a moment to look at Sasuke like he grew a second head and sneered at his cowardice. This wasn't the Sasuke he knew and the one that was a part of team 7.

"Are you crazy? Giving up the scroll would be like saying we didn't pass, dammit! I want to pass and I know you want to as well…" Naruto knew that talking would be ineffective, thus he needed to get his point across. However, the fact that Sasuke so easily gave up, made his blood boil. This wasn't the Sasuke he knew, or the one he kept challenging all the time. He was just a scared little rabbit. Gathering as much strength as he could muster, Naruto landed a fierce punch on Sasuke's face, sending him flying. No one could see his eyes at the time of the hit.

"What's the matter with you dammit? Quit trying to become the hero!" Shouted Sasuke, before something inside of him urged him to stop breathing. This feeling of dread, it was similar to the time he faced Zabuza. He looked at Naruto, only to gasp as the blonds eyes was changed. They were red silted eyes that promised anything but death.

"You're definitely not the Sasuke I know. You're just some scared cat trying to save its own ass. I'm dealing with this enemy and we are going to pass this exam!" Naruto said, before he grabbed a kunai and charged the still smirking enemy. Orochimaru just summoned one of his snakes one more time and ordered it to pound Naruto. The problem, though, was that now Naruto was, even if unconsciously, using the fox's chakra, alerting Orochimaru instantly. He saw Naruto punching the snake hard and he felt instantly the same feeling from twelve years ago when the very Kyuubi no Yoko appeared in Konoha.

'So, this is the Kyuubi brat…such remarkable power…maybe branding him as well isn't such a bad idea. He could prove useful in the future' thought Orochimaru

Just as Naruto managed to break the snake's jaw, he saw the snake disappearing and licked his lips once more. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura were wondering when Naruto had ever shown such power. Naruto, then, charged the snake sannin in disguise, only for the man's tongue to envelope Naruto's body. The blond tried fighting with all his might to free himself from Orochimaru's grasp. However, the man had enough chakra focused on his tongue to hold Naruto at bay, even if he was subconsciously using the fox's chakra. Such strength only managed to further Orochimaru's interest in using Naruto against the very village that raised him. He lifted his shirt up, made some hand signs and then on each finger a blue flame appeared and he yelled "**Five Prong Seal**" and hit Naruto's seal with his own.

Without further a due, he lowered Naruto's body until the blond was in front of him. Orochimaru sunk his teeth in Naruto's neck with much strength that the blond screamed in agony. The poison instantly ran through his veins and before Naruto knew, he was unconscious as a strange looking seal appeared behind his neck.

As soon as he turned towards the still stunned Sasuke, he threw Naruto towards the ground hard. Sasuke tried moving, but Orochimaru still had his genjutsu activated, meaning Sasuke couldn't move. Sakura even tried to help by throwing a kunai, but Orochimaru just used two fingers to stop as he extended his neck towards the Uchiha, before biting him as well. Sasuke screamed in agony, as the poison ran through his veins as the cursed seal appeared behind his neck as well. Orochimaru started laughing silently as he pondered on how much his odds improved.

"You monster, who are you and what did you do to Sasuke and Naruto?" Sakura had tears in her eyes and she was trembling, which further increased Orochimaru's mood as he laughed at Sakura.

"My name is Orochimaru and I only gave the two of them a nice little present. In time, both of them will seek me for power and I'll be waiting. Till we meet again" While laughing, Orochimaru sunk below the tree, using a earth evasion technique, leaving poor little Sakura to help both her teammates.

**With Orochimaru**

Racing through the tree-tops of Training area 44 aka the "Forest of Death" was Anko. Right now she was supposed to be overseeing the second test of the Chunin Exam. That is until evidence was discovered that one of the most dangerous missing-nin's to ever come from Konoha was interfering with it.

Many would consider going after the S-ranked missing-nin Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin to be suicidal, but for Anko this was personal because she was Orochimaru's apprentice before his betrayal. 'Why is he here? Why now? What is his purpose?' Were the thoughts that were continually running through the purple headed kunoichi's mind? 'It doesn't matter, if you are here then it's time to settle this once and for all, even if it costs me my life.' "Isn't that right Orochimaru?" She said coming to stop upon a tree branch.

"Anko, I see your skills haven't dulled since our little falling out." Chuckled Orochimaru, emerging from the same branch of said tree.

Trying to use any advantage she has Anko immediately leaps into the air preparing to throw the kunai she had hidden in the sleeve of her trench coat. Unfortunately the snake Sannin was prepared and countered by extending his tongue to grab hold of his former pupil's wrist, forcing her to drop the kunai. In response Anko extends her left hand and with a cry of "**Striking Shadow Snake**" extends three snakes from her sleeve that latch onto Orochimaru and drag him towards her. Once close enough Anko spins on her heels to pin Orochimaru to the tree trunk, whips out another kunai that she rams through the her left hand and his right hand, in an attempt to keep him from escaping and from using jutsu. Giving the sadistic grin she learned from her former sensei, Anko uses her free hand to grab and manipulate Orochimaru's other hand to make a seal. "I'm just going to borrow your hand for a sec."

"That seal!" Orochimaru gasps upon recognizing the seal.

"That's right; I am taking you down even if I have to go with you, **Ninja Art: Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu**" Said a grinning Anko believing that she had won against the man who caused her great pain with his betrayal.

"Planning to commit suicide Anko? As a Elite Jonin you really shouldn't be using those Kinjutsu I taught you." came the voice of the Sannin from behind Anko.

"WHAT?" Cried the Jonin as she whips her head around as the **Earth Clone** she had been battling dispersed, only to see the form of her opponent leaning against another tree.

"Come now, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Questioned Orochimaru as he ripped away the melted face of the Kusa Shinobi he was impersonating revealing his true serpent like features, and formed a one-handed seal to activate the Curse Seal on Anko to render her helpless.

"Why are you here?" Anko asked dropping to her knees from the pain emanating from the seal on her shoulder.

"Aw, why so cold, I thought that you would have been happy to see me again after all these years." mocked the former sensei.

Despite the pain the kunoichi was still trying to do her duty to obtain information in case she came out of this confrontation alive, Anko asked one of the most logical questions. "Have you come to assassinate Lord Hokage?"

"No, I simply don't have enough men to attempt that yet. So I decided that first I would recruit some of the more outstanding shinobi that are currently in this village." calmly replied Orochimaru. "In fact, I just gave some of the more promising children in this exam one of my Curse Seals. Originally there was only one that I wanted, but then I found another intriguing specimen."

"How selfish, those kids are going to die." Anko struggled to say through the continual pain of the seal on her neck.

"Hmmm…Don't be so sure. There is a 1 in 10 chance of survival. So he could live through the process like you did." Orochimaru replied, brushing off his student's last statement. "As for the other one that caught my eye, well considering what he is, I am sure he'll survive."

"You must think pretty highly of these two." Said Anko, knowing she was drawing close to collapse.

"Jealous are we? Are you still upset that I threw you away?" asked Orochimaru noting the pain on his former student's face. "The first boy is, unlike you, talented. He's a kid who carries Uchiha blood after all. He's also very beautiful, a perfect vessel to be my successor. As for the other boy, he contains a rather powerful demon that already grants him some special gifts. He'll provide me an abundance of research material that I can use to improve the power of future Curse Seals." Orochimaru continues seeing that Anko was at the threshold of unconsciousness. "If they survive, things could get very interesting. So please don't end the exam prematurely. I am going to enjoy seeing those boys going against the Genin from my village. If you try to end my fun, I will use all my power and destroy Konoha." finished the Sannin as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke from his Shunshin. As he leaves all Anko can do is fall upon the branch she is on as the pain of the Curse Seal finally recedes.

**Back with Team 7 – Day two of the exam**

Sakura had managed to drag her two unconscious teammates to a small cave formed from the roots of one of the massive trees of the forest. She had stayed up all night only getting about five minutes of sleep every hour, and using a solider pill from her first aid kit to keep her energy up. Once morning had come around she noticed that the tremors of their bodies had decreased and that Sasuke's fever had gone down as well. Despite her best efforts Sakura just couldn't figure out what the grass-nin that attacked them did to cause this reaction. Unbeknownst to her was the fact that she was under observation by the sound Genin.

"There he is." remarked the team leader Dosu, the mummy wearing a throw rug. "Our target is Uchiha Sasuke. Our orders from Orochimaru state that we are to kill him at the first opportunity. We'll attack at dawn."

"Can we kill the other two if they get in our way?" asked Zaku, a boy with spiky black hair with some sort of helmet that protected the sides of his face.

"I don't think it will matter. From the looks of it, that blond boy is out cold from an injury, and the girl appears to have been up all night. Even if they try to stop us they won't be able to do anything." replied Kin, the only female of the group and obviously the brains of the team.

"Regardless, our orders also say to get rid of any threats to our mission. If they attempt to fight, kill them." Dosu responded. "Here's what we'll do." He said as he began to outline the plan.

Sakura was beginning to nod off again when she detected movement from the bushes. She immediately gripped her kunai and prepared for whatever was coming. She relaxed when she saw that it was only a squirrel, but after a moment of observation, threw the kunai scaring it off. 'That was close.' Sakura thought has she watched the squirrel scamper off.

"Huh. She's pretty observant. I didn't think that pink haired girl would notice the explosive note we put on the squirrel." Muttered Zaku

"No, that's not it." Said Dosu  
>"What do you mean Dosu?" asked a now confused Zaku.<p>

"We'll find out when we get closer, and probably not until then. That means we're going in to attack directly." came the team leader's reply.

Sakura was coming down from the small adrenaline rush she got from when she was startled by the squirrel. She was beginning to drift off for another few minutes of sleep, and would have if not for the intrusion of a rival team of Genin.

"Heh, have you been up all night?" asked a mocking voice from behind Sakura's position.

Adrenaline pumping through her system again, Sakura whipped around towards the speaker and recognized the three Oto shinobi from the tussle right before the first exam. 'Oh no. Why did another team have to find us now?'

"Don't worry; you can go to sleep in a moment, but first wake up Sasuke so we can fight him." Dosu said as he took another step towards the only conscious member of team 7.

"You might as well go find some other team, because our scroll as already taken by some grass-nin!" Sakura shouted at the sound-nin's in hopes that they would leave if they believed that she no longer had a scroll to give, while at the same time reaching for another kunai in case they decided to attack anyway, which was a more likely outcome.

"Heh, we don't care if you have a scroll or not. We're not here for the exam; we're here to kill Uchiha Sasuke." stated the loud mouth of the Oto team, Zaku, who had no qualms about telling others details of the mission since he figured that they would be killed anyway. "But before we do that, I think I'll shut you up for good." He said as he started to advance towards Sakura.

"Hold it Zaku." cautioned Dosu as he pulled back his teammate. "WHAT? Why?" questioned the now irritated Zaku.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice. The ground around here is all wrong. There's a recently turned over stone, spots of darker dirt indicating digging, and patches of ground where it appears that grass doesn't grow. You know, traps don't work very well if their noticed." said Dosu, directing that last comment at Sakura.

"Man, what a stupid mistake for a ninja to make." remarked Zaku.

"So when she threw that kunai earlier, it was to stop the squirrel from setting off the traps. Not because she noticed the exploding note." observed Kin, who caught on to the significance of the action before Zaku.

"So can I kill her now?" asked Zaku  
>"We have no use for her. Go ahead and kill her." commanded Dosu.<p>

With that the three Genin leapt into the air to jump over the poorly hidden traps on the ground. However because they were feeling pride in detecting and easily avoiding the leaf-nin's traps they failed to look "underneath the underneath". Thus they failed to notice Sakura's smirk as she cut a wire anchored to the ground next to her that led into the treetops. However the sound Genin did not fail to notice the rather large log that suddenly came swinging down from the canopy.

"A second trap from above!" shouted Dosu. "You'll need more than that." He said as he braced his right hand against the log while making a half Tora seal with his left hand to more easily focus the chakra going to his Melody Arm. The chakra was moulded to create sound waves that the unusual weapon than amplified to a point that the waves were able to shatter the log into splinters. Of course Dosu and his teammates were the only ones in the Chunin exam that knew of this unusual property.

'Oh no.' were the horrified thoughts running through Sakura's head as she watched her trump card break into useless firewood.

"Nice try, but a weakling like you has to work a lot harder before you could hurt someone on our level." leered Dosu as he descended to attack Sakura.

"**Leaf Hurricane**" Was the only sound that marked the entrance, of the incredibly fast, spinning mass of destruction that came rushing into the clearing and sent all three Sound Genin flying away from their target. "If that is the case, then I must give the same advice." Said the spinning mass as it came to stop in a defensive Taijutsu stance in front of Sakura, revealing one of Konoha's strongest, bravest, and freakiest Genin's, Rock Lee. He was one of the strongest due to his intense Taijutsu training that would break lesser ninja. He was one of the bravest for never backing down from a challenge that could possible kill him (refer back to why he is strong). And he is one of the freakiest because he wore a green spandex jumpsuit, had a bowl style haircut, buggy eyes, had the thickest, bushiest eyebrows you had ever seen, constantly screamed about the power of youth, and for some reason there was a squirrel riding on his shoulder.

"Who the heck are you?" asked Dosu as he pushed himself off the ground to face the new arrival.

"I am the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha…Rock Lee!" exclaimed the green clad shinobi.  
>"Lee? Why are you here?" asked the highly surprised Sakura.<p>

"As I told you before, I will always appear when you are in trouble, and I will protect you with my life." proclaimed Lee as he set down the squirrel and continued to stare down the Oto shinobi. This was without a doubt the coolest he has ever looked and it is in front of the girl he has a crush on no less.

"Nice speech, but you weak leaf-nin's are going to have to do better than that if you want to stop us." said Dosu as he charged forward with his right arm cocked and ready to use his Melody Arm weapon.

Sakura immediately recognized the danger of facing someone who had an unknown ability and threw a third kunai to disrupt Dosu's attack. It worked in the sense that it delayed him has he dodged once again into the air and descended to strike Lee, that extra few seconds were all Lee needed as he thrust his arm into the ground and used his incredible strength to pull out a giant portion of the root of the giant tree that Sakura had chosen as a hideaway while her teammates were knocked out. Using the root as a shield he blocked the punch Dosu had directed at him. Upon impact of fist and wood, the root exploded in a similar manner to the log form earlier. Using the bursting splinters as a distraction, Lee then maneuverer out from beneath the broken root and delivered a punch to Dosu's stomach, sending him back several yards.

"I don't know what kind of trick you use, but I do remember your demonstration from before the exam, so I know that simply dodging won't do me any good." Stated Lee as he brought up the incident where Dosu had decided to show the strength of Oto, the hidden sound village. This meant that he showed some of his abilities in front of other Chunin hopefuls who had two days to devise a strategy to counter it. 'But I am at a disadvantage of 3 to 1. I will have to risk revealing the full power of my own technique.' thought Lee as he partially undid the wrappings on his arms.

"Bah…don't think that I'll give you a chance to do that again!" exclaimed Dosu as he rushed forward yet again. He was only able to get to within a few feet when Lee made his move. "What? He vanished!"

Lee had moved at a speed where he was able to cross those few feet in the span of an eye blink. He had completely bypassed Dosu's guard and delivered a powerful kick to his chin, launching the sound-nin into the air. Lee immediately jumped into the air, appearing behind Dosu, whom he tied up with his arm wrappings before flipping each other so that their heads were pointing to the ground. Once that was part was prepared, Lee started spinning both of them at a speed that made them look like a mini-tornado. "**PRIMARY LOTUS**" And just as Dosu had made contact with the ground Lee had unwrapped himself from Dosu and leapt away.

"Phew…looks like I made it in time." Muttered Zaku who had his hands stuck in the ground after using a jutsu to soften the landing.

"Ah" breathed Dosu as he extracted himself from the soft dirt.

"NO WAY!" exclaimed Lee as he saw someone actually get up after getting hit by one of his most powerful techniques.

"What a terrifying technique, to do this much damage even on a sponge of dirt" Stated Dosu as he shook off loose dirt on his person, and turned to Lee while prepping his arm once again. "But now it's my turn." With that he rushed at Lee once again.

'Damn. My body still isn't ready.' Thought Lee as he knew his body was still drained after using one of his most tiring attacks. So this time he could not dodge Dosu's punch which hit him square on the jaw. The punch itself was nothing a person of Lee's calibre couldn't handle, but the jutsu was. Once the strike connected Lee's vision blurred and it felt has if the world was spinning underneath his feet.

"If your moves are at high speed" Said Dosu as he started gloating, "Then ours are at the speed of sound. And that is a wall no amount of hard work can surpass." As these words were spoken, Lee spewed vomit. It was then that he felt something warm and wet in his ear. Touching it with his fingers and bringing it into his field of vision he saw that it was blood, meaning that his ears were bleeding.

"Have you figured out why you can't simply dodge my attacks?" stated Dosu, "The trick is sound. Even if you dodge the fist, the sound will still attack you. Sound is comprised of vibrations in the air that the ear drum catches. And if the sound waves are at the proper pitch and frequency, they'll break the ear drum. Not only that, but they can damage the membrane of the inner ear, which controls balance in the body." explained Dosu. "Heh …you won't be able to properly move your body for a while."

Now Zaku decided to add in his own gloats. "Your lame old Taijutsu won't work against us. You did well. You even forced me to use my jutsu. Of course you still failed." Zaku said, both complementing and insulting the leaf-nin. "With my jutsu I can control supersonic sound and air pressure to such a degree that I can even destroy rocks with it. So blasting air into the earth making a cushion is nothing." He said explaining how his technique works, which for a ninja is a rather stupid thing to do. Lee just glared at him as Zaku insulted the moves that his sensei and mentor had taught him.

"Now it's your turn!" said Dosu as he charged at Sakura. Fortunately for Sakura, Dosu had forgotten that you should never underestimate or disregard another ninja unless they are dead. This is why he was taken completely by surprise when Lee suddenly moved in front of him and prepared another kick. Unfortunately his balance was still off, so Dosu was able to use his leg as a hand board to dodge.

"Whew…You scared me there for a moment, but it looks like my jutsu is affecting you. So now you've lost the ability to use repeated Taijutsu in a flash. Which leaves you open." Dosu says, punctuating his point by punching Lee again. Lee managed to block with his arms this time but was immediately assaulted by the sound waves. "This melody arm of mine is capable of amplifying even the smallest of sounds to the highest levels. You can think of it like a speaker. Except the sound doesn't follow my arm, I use my chakra to make it go wherever I want it to go." explained the sound user.

"AH" screamed Lee as he collapsed under the pressure in his ear.  
>"Lee!" Shouted Sakura seeing her rescuer brought to his knees.<p>

"Now, let's finish this." Dosu brought up his arm to deliver the finishing blow, not taking any more chances with the Genin that had already surprised him more times than he liked.

"I won't let you!" shouted Sakura as she whipped out three more kunai in one hand, and some shuriken in the other. She threw the kunai which went right at their target, Dosu.

In response Dosu merely brought up his right arm and blocked them with his Melody Arm. This time Sakura threw her shuriken, only for those to be intercepted by Zaku, who had been moving into position to join the fight, as he finished the seals for his jutsu. Raising his arms he let loose powerful sound waves to create enough air pressure to knock away the weapons.

'Damn it. He can use that air pressure jutsu to knock away anything I throw at them.' thought Sakura as she tried to think of plan to get past their defences. But in her attempts to think of a plan to deal with Zaku and Dosu, she didn't notice the movements of the kunoichi until she was right behind her.

"My, my, such lovely hair" commented Kin as she roughly grabbed Sakura's long hair. "No wonder you were brought down so easily. You must spend more time brushing your hair then training." Kin turned her attention to her teammates. "Hey Zaku, how about you kill Sasuke now. It ought to leave quite the impression on this pathetic excuse for a ninja."

"Heh…Good idea Kin." chuckled Zaku as he moved towards the unconscious boy. Sakura was in turmoil. In every fight she and her team had been in, she had always been useless. Kakashi had taken her out with a simple Genjutsu during her Genin exam. When team 7 was attacked by the demon brothers, she just stood there while Sasuke disabled them. In the first fight with Zabuza, it was Naruto's plan that freed Kakashi with a little help from Sasuke. In the second fight, even though she doesn't know the details because of the mist, she knew that it was Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi that took out Zabuza and his apprentice Haku while she stayed behind to guard their client Tazuna. Then there was the Kusa shinobi from yesterday who hadn't even considered her worth his notice, instead focusing on Sasuke and Naruto and he got back to them. Now here she was in a disabled position because of her desire to have beautiful hair while her teammates were out cold, and the only other genin who was probably even willing to help her had been taken out by these sound-nin that were about to kill one of her teammates.

'No more.' Sakura thought as she took out another kunai.

"Pfft…Don't make me laugh. You won't be able to use that on Me." said Kin as she continued to hold onto the Konoha kunoichi.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Sakura as she swung the kunai behind her in the most desperate move she had ever done. And it worked as she cut through her intended target. She moved away from Kin while pink locks of hair fell to the ground with her forehead protector.

"Damn it. Kin kill her!" Yelled Zaku as he was getting really annoyed with how his opponents just wouldn't quit.

Kin pulled out some senbon from her pouch and tackled into Sakura while sticking the needles into her spine. However Sakura had already used the seals for a **Kawarimi** and replaced herself with a log. Zaku had seen the seals and was preparing his jutsu as he searched for her position.

'Is she kidding? Using such a basic jutsu, now where is she? ...There, to the right' thought Kin

"Kin, out of the way" Zaku shouted as he swung towards his target and unleashed his technique right when Sakura threw more kunai at him. "**Decapitating air waves**" The air blew the kunai right back towards Sakura, striking her, only for Sakura to disappear in a puff a smoke revealing a log from yet another Kawarimi.

"You aren't fooling anyone. You're above." He said has he looked up to see Sakura using the seals for Kawarimi again. "It's useless to keep using that trick." Zaku threw some kunai, not wanting to waste anymore chakra on a log. "Now where are you?" He muttered as he turned his attention to the surrounding forest. He stopped when he felt a drop a of blood fall upon him. He looked up in growing horror to see Sakura with some kunai in her arms and legs and another in her hand.

'It's not a **Kawarimi**' Were his only thoughts as she fell upon him thrusting the kunai into his right arm as she bit into his left wrist. "AH! Let go of me!" shouted Zaku as he repeatedly hit Sakura on the head in an attempt to get her off. Finally after quite a few punches he threw her off. "I'll get you for that you brat." Zaku said as he raised his arms and looked into his opponent's bloodied face.


	13. Chapter 12 : The Cursed Seal

**Chapter 12: The Cursed Seal**

**Inside Sasuke's Mindscape**

'Where am I?' thought Sasuke. He noticed he was surrounded by nothing but darkness. There was nothing, it felt like death; he failed to understand where he was 'Am I dead?' thought Sasuke

In front of Sasuke stood an 8 year old Sasuke, crying and muttering something that Sasuke did not understand. Soon the environment changed and now he was standing in his house, at the same spot when his father and mother were killed by his so called brother Itachi. There lay the dead bodies of his parent's and besides them was an 8 year old Sasuke.

"I couldn't protect them, they died because I was weak, I was too weak to protect them" stated an 8 year old boy still crying and sobbing. After hearing this, Sasuke snapped, his anger grew larger and larger for his brother and now he only wanted to kill him.

'I am an avenger, I will kill him, I will kill Itachi' thought Sasuke and he lost into the darkness once again.

**End of Sasuke's Mindscape**

**Meanwhile with Sakura and others**

"Stop right there!" Shouted a bossy female voice as three more ninjas, two who jumped in while dragging the rather large third member by his scarf, appeared in between Sakura and Zaku. The three ninjas were none other than Sakura's fellow leaf-nin and former classmates, team 10. A team comprised of the lazy Nara Shikamaru, Sakura's bossy, blond rival Yamanaka Ino, and the "big-boned" Akimichi Choji.

"What are two thinking? These guys are way too dangerous to fight!" whined the reluctant Choji. "Shikamaru, let go of my scarf!"

"Yeah right idiot. I know this is troublesome, but we have no choice. If Ino is coming out to fight then we men can't run away." explained the oddly chivalrous Shikamaru.

"Sorry to get you involved guys. But we are a team. We share the same fate." apologized Ino.  
>"Don't worry Ino; we'll get through this somehow." assured Shikamaru<br>"You both are nuts!" shouted Choji, who was still trying to get away.

At all of this Zaku couldn't help but let his mouth run, "Heh…Go ahead and leave if you want…Fatty."

At that word all of Choji's struggles ceased instantly as his ears twitched. "What did he say? I didn't hear him." said a deceptively calm Choji.

"Huh?" Was Zaku's reaction to the large boy's sudden change?

'Uh Oh, that word is taboo around Choji. If he says it twice…' trailed off Shikamaru's thoughts as he awaited the expected reaction.

"If you want you can run away…Fat ass!" said Zaku even louder than last time to get his point across.

With that Choji turned on him, a look of rage that would scare anyone who was smart enough to understand "I AM NOT FAT! I'M BIG-BONED! HURRAY FOR BIG-BONES!" shouted the enraged Akimichi, surprising Sakura who had always considered Choji as gentle as a teddy bear. "You guys understand! This is now a war between Konoha and Oto!" The excited giant said to his teammates.

'Heh…Now that Choji snapped, this will be a lot easier.' thought Ino.

"Aw man. This is so troublesome." said Shikamaru seeing his friend's reaction as he dropped the scarf he had been holding.

"That's our line." said Zaku to Shikamaru. 'Sigh…We're supposed to kill Sasuke before the end of the exam…' were his annoyed thoughts. As all this banter was going on, no one noticed the sudden change in Naruto and Sasuke's condition.

"Hey Sakura," said Ino, "take care of those two, while we take care of these three."  
>"Yeah." was Sakura's only response.<br>"Alright boys, it's time to show the full power of the new team Ino-Shika-Cho!" shouted Ino to excite her teammates.  
>"YEAH" shouted the already excited Choji<p>

Despite seeing the situation as troublesome, Shikamaru couldn't help but give a small smile. Which is as excited as he gets. "Ino-Shika-Cho first formation… Choji do your thing!" commanded Ino.

"OK!" said Choji as he ran though the seals for one of his family's jutsu's. "**Expansion Jutsu**" He shouted, expanding his body to the size of a boulder twice his size. "**Followed by Leaf Style Taijutsu Rolling Boulder Jutsu**" With that his head and limbs disappeared into his body has he started spinning at a high speed, on a collision course with Zaku.

"What kind of weird jutsu is this?" Questioned Zaku, "No matter, it's just a rolling fat ass. **Slicing Sound Wave**" He said, unleashing his air pressure jutsu. However the jutsu did not cause the expected result of sending his enemy flying backwards. Instead after a few seconds of struggling against the air, Choji bounced into the air, surprising Zaku. 'Damn it. With all that spinning air pressure is useless. And I have to touch him to use sound waves, but that would crush my arms.' He thought. Seeing his teammate's predicament, Dosu moved to intercept the falling leaf-nin.

'I don't think so. You're the most troublesome of all.' thought Shikamaru as he went through the seals for the most basic of the Nara clan's jutsu's. "**Ninja art: Shadow Possession Jutsu**" The jutsu he used caused Shikamaru's shadow to expand and stretch until it connected with Dosu's shadow, causing him to halt in his tracks as he started imitating Shikamaru.

"What the…My body…My shadow" exclaimed Dosu, seeing the shadow and feeling the effects of the jutsu. Meanwhile, Zaku had barely managed to avoid being crushed by Choji. Now Shikamaru was getting creative and forced Dosu's hands above his head in some weird pose.

"What the heck are you doing Dosu?" screamed Kin.  
>"All right Ino. Take out the girl." said Shikamaru to his blond teammate.<p>

"OK, be sure to take care of my body." Replied Ino has she made the seal for her clan's jutsu. "**Ninja art: Mind Transfer Jutsu**" Immediately her body fell over unconscious as her soul left it and entered the body of Kin. "It's over now!" Exclaimed Ino in Kin's body as she took out one of her kunai. "If you guys move an inch I'll kill this girl. If you don't want it to end here, then leave your scroll and get out. After 15 minutes I'll let her go." Threatened Ino, but was disturbed when all Dosu and Zaku did was chuckle darkly. 'What's with this two, it's like they don't care.' She thought. Then Zaku gave her his response. That response was a one-handed **sound wave** that blasted Ino/Kin into a tree. "GAAA" She cried as she fell.

"INO" shouted Shikamaru, who was looking at Ino's body in his arms, while blood dripped from the mouth.

"Why did these guys hurt their own comrade?" Ino weakly questioned from the ground.  
>"Heh…Are you confused?" asked Zaku.<p>

"Our goal is not to collect some stupid scrolls or to complete this exam…" stated Dosu, shocking the leaf nin's, "…it's Sasuke."

'Damn, this is bad. And my jutsu is ending.' thought Shikamaru.

"Ah…Looks like your jutsu has a time limit of about 5 minutes." Said Dosu as he saw Shikamaru's shadow return to normal and he regained control of his body. "And it appears that the girl's jutsu allows her spirit to enter and control another's body. But if that bleeding is any indication then if we kill Kin, then we kill her as well." He observed.

"I can't take any more of this!" exclaimed annoyed voice above them. "Watching some minor sound Nin's bullying a bunch of second rate ninjas, and declaring victory before they've been disabled." Said the voice's owner Neji Hyuga standing next to a girl with a twin bun hair style whose name is Tenten, Rock Lee's teammates.

"These guys are like cockroaches. Get rid of one and a dozen takes its place." Said Dosu, annoyed that some leaf-nin considered him above the Oto shinobi.

As Neji's eyes swept the battlefield he spotted the prone form of his comrade Lee. "You made a mistake." He stated turning his attention back to Dosu. "That knocked out freak right there is from our team and…You're going to pay for that!" He punctuated by activating his Byakugan, the famed Doujutsu of the Hyuga clan and rival of the Uchiha's Sharingan. The bulging veins and intense stare of his eyes was enough to freeze the younger ninjas in their tracks. "If you intend to continue this, then I will have to go all out on you." Neji warned. 'Huh? What is this chakra?' He thought as he spotted something unusual with his Byakugan.

"Heh…If you don't like it so much, then stop acting cool and come down here." taunted Dosu as he recovered.  
>"Hm…No." stated Neji as he deactivated his eyes. "It seems that won't be necessary." He said confusing Dosu.<p>

That's when everyone felt a pulse of chakra from the base of the tree. There they saw Uchiha Sasuke getting up onto his feet, but instead of instilling hope into the leaf-nin like it should have it instilled fear. Sasuke appeared very menacing with his Sharingan blazing, and black fire markings covering half of his body. But what truly frightened the onlookers was the purple chakra that swirled around him, giving off some sort of tainted feeling. As if it was poisonous.

"Sakura… Who did this to you?" Sasuke asked when he saw his injured teammate. After not receiving an answer he spoke again. "Who did it?"

"We did it!" Zaku proclaimed who didn't grasp the whole situation.

But Dosu did. 'That's Lord Orochimaru's Curse Seal. The only way he could have that is if Lord Orochimaru put it there himself.'

Sasuke heard Zaku, but he was more focused on his teammate Sakura. "Sasuke …your body" Was all she could say?

Sasuke looked at his hand to see what she meant. "Don't worry Sakura. I can feel the power and how it overflowing in me…I feel great. And he gave it to me." He said, confusing Sakura with that last remark. "I finally understand. I am an Avenger. So even if I must make a deal with the devil, I will do it to obtain the power I need." He explained. "Now, it was you guys who did this, right?" Sasuke asked, turning his attention to the sound-nin.

"Ino…Return to your body, we don't want to get caught up in this! You too Choji, we're out of here!" Shouted Shikamaru as he started running for the hills, as Ino released her jutsu and Choji followed.

As team 10 was running, the amount of chakra coming from Sasuke started increasing, causing the seal markings to spread across the rest of his body.

"So much chakra" whispered a scared Dosu. 'Not only did he survive the process, but he already has this much control over the Curse Seal.'

"Hey Dosu… There's no need to be afraid of this half dead freak!" shouted Zaku as he prepared his strongest jutsu.

"No Zaku! Don't you realize what that is -" yelled Dosu trying to warn his teammate, but it was too late.

"**Extreme Decapitating Air Waves**" Zaku yelled while releasing the strongest wave of air pressure yet, that blasted apart everything in its path. "Heh…I've blown him away." He said eyeing the destruction.

"Blown who away?" came the voice of the Uchiha from behind Zaku where he appeared with Sakura and a still unconscious Naruto, right before delivering a backhand strike, strong enough to send Zaku flying several yards. He didn't stop there as he made the hand seals for one of his jutsu's. "Fire Style: Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu" and after taking a breath Sasuke released numerous small fireballs from his mouth.

Zaku had recovered from the backhand and raised his arms to use his favourite move again. He succeeded in blowing out the fireballs, but he didn't use enough chakra to blow away the shuriken hidden inside the fireballs. Some of the shuriken managed to hit Zaku, but they didn't hit any vital spots, nor did they do anything to disable him. However the shuriken were just distraction so Sasuke could get in under Zaku's guard. Before Zaku knew what was happening, Sasuke had holding his arms out behind him with his foot on Zaku's back.

"So, you're proud of your arms?" asked Sasuke. "Then why don't I do to them what you did to Sakura's hair." He said as he applied opposing pressure to both arms and back. He kept at it until an audible snap was heard in the clearing, followed by Zaku's scream of pain. "You're the only one left." Sasuke said as he turned his attention to Dosu. "Let's hope you prove more entertaining than your comrade."

"STOP" shouted Sakura as she couldn't stand to see Sasuke act so cruel.

**Meanwhile – Inside Naruto's Mindscape**

'Where am I?' thought Naruto. He noticed he was surrounded by nothing but darkness. There was nothing, it felt like death; he failed to understand where he was 'Am I dead?' thought Naruto

In front of Naruto stood a 6 year old blond, crying and muttering something that Naruto did not understand. "Why me… Why does everyone hate me? Why…" stated the 6 year old blond still crying and sobbing. After hearing that, Naruto felt depressed.

He was sad for the child or rather himself, but still he did not show any anger and just went to the child and placed his hand on his head and smiled watching the 6 year old blond boy's face and said "I don't hate you and I am sure in future you will find many others who won't hate you as well"

Soon the 6 year blond grew up in size and age and now was a mirror copy of him but with a small difference and the difference was emotions, there stood the dark Naruto filled with negative emotions and anger and hatred, with the feeling of revenge.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto

"I am you, I am the hate that lives within you, I am a part of you, I am the real you" he spoke and asked "Why do you smile? Don't you hate them who did this to you?"

"No" was the simple reply of the boy as he smile and continued "I don't hate them, I pity them because they can't see the real me, they can't see my pain or my happiness, their thoughts are clouded with anger and hate towards Kurama, and if I hate them then what will be the difference between me and them, if I started hating them, then it would mean that my thoughts are clouded too, towards the behaviour they showed me. And finally I have some friends who accept me knowing the truth behind me and soon everyone will accept the real me"

"Why?" asked the dark Naruto "And what about me? It was me who was there throughout the harsh suffering you received"

"Yes you are right, you were there with me when I received that hard suffering and pain, and you should now stay with me to receive the good end of it. You should stay with me and fell the joy of being loved and of having friend, you should feel every bit of my happiness too just like you felt every bit of my sufferings, after all you are a part of me that I cannot reject, I can simply accept you and show kindness to you" with that said he went ahead and hugged the dark Naruto who soon began to burst into crying and soon after vanished. Soon he found himself standing in front of Kurama with a gate separating the two.

Kurama spoke "**So kit you finally did it**"  
>"I did what?" asked the blond<br>"**You defeated your anger**" replied the beast  
>"And what's interesting about that" asked Naruto<p>

"**You idiot, when you draw my chakra you feel the blood lust and hate that comes with it, don't you?**" asked Kurama, when Naruto nodded he continued "**That was because your anger accelerate those feelings and now since you defeated them, you will not be driven by that hate and blood lust**" explained Kurama

"But why did it happen, not that I am complaining" asked Naruto

"**When that snake bit you, he marked you with his seal that binds you to his will, like my chakra, your anger also accelerates the effects of the seal, if you would have lost to that anger, then you would have been under that snakes control**" explained Kurama

"Before biting me he did something else, what was that" asked Naruto

"**He interfered with yours and my chakra flow, in simple words, your chakra, and my chakra are not able to mix properly, making it harder for you to control your chakra**" explained the beast

"So how to fix this" asked the blond

"**Either remove that seal or remove the seal that blocks me, if either of those seal disappears, then everything will be fine, but I highly doubt that you would survive like this if you wait someone of that calibre that can remove the snakes seal**" replied the beast

"How many seal has he placed on my body?" asked the boy

"**Two seals, one that binds you to his will and allows you to use nature's chakra or sage chakra, and the other that interferes with our link**" explained the fox

"Ok… So if I remove your seal, then the other that interferes with our link will also disappear" asked the blond

"**No the seal will be there, but then it won't be able to interfere with our link. The seal which holds me, it allows us to have a small link but with that seal over mine our link is broken, if my seal is gone, then that seal won't matter**" explained Kurama

When Naruto understood his words, he went forward and started peeling the piece of paper on which the word seal was written, but he was stopped by a hand, he turned around to see the fourth hokage, his dad standing in front of him.

"Dad" the blond spoke  
>"So he told you" Minato stated<br>"No I tricked him to reveal everything" stated Naruto

"Leave the talks for later, first tell me why were you removing the seal" asked Minato

With that said Naruto began to tell him everything that had happened, he told him all his emotions and finally told him that he does not hate him, he is happy and he has a few friends who accept him. Minato also said sorry to him and spoke "But What if he tries to attack you"

At this point the kyuubi was also interested to know the blonds answer. Naruto spoke "No he won't, he was looking out for me the whole time, from my childhood to now, he is the reason I am alive today, or else I would have died on my first C rank mission that turned A" After hearing those words his dad and kyuubi were both confused but his dad listened to him and decided to remove the seal.

"You know, this seal won't open by just tearing that paper" Minato said  
>"Oh, I didn't know, sorry" Naruto said<br>"It's okay" He said

He gathered some chakra in his hand and gestured Naruto to reveal his seal and then he unlocked it with the key that he hid in his body. He also told him about the key he left with his sensei, Jiraiya of the sannin. The cage opened and kyuubi came out and stood there like a pet. Minato spoke "I wanted to talk to you a lot Naruto, but I guess I can't, my chakra is disappearing, I am sorry again to put this burden on you but what kind of father would I be if I asked some other parent to give their own son for this sacrifice. And besides I went great lengths to did this, because I believed you would be able to control this power, I did it because you are my son, I sealed half the nine tails in you so you could use it for greater good"

"You believe me, you really do" asked the blond  
>"What father won't believe his own son" stated the hokage<br>"Before I go, I have one thing to tell you" the hokage said

**Flashback**

They were in a secret chamber when suddenly a voice unknown to both Minato and Kushina echoed through the room. "Step away from the jinchuriki fourth hokage" the masked man said as he held Naruto hostage with a kunai at his neck. Biwako and the nurse lay dead in the floor.

"Ok, just calm down" said Minato frightened with concern evident in his eyes.

"Speak for yourself fourth hokage. I am perfectly calm" masked man said as he threw Naruto in the air preparing to stab with the kunai. Suddenly in a yellow flash Minato grabbed Naruto as the masked man made his way towards Kushina.

Buzzing was heard as Minato realizes five explosive tags placed in the blanket around Minato. In a burst of speed Minato removes the blanket and teleports to his safe house.

**Minato's Safe House Outside of Konoha**

An explosion occurred as Minato is blasted away with his son in his arms. "That man is no ordinary shinobi" said Minato wondering just who the masked man is. "He managed to separate me from Kushina" Teleporting to the Namikaze Compound Minato places his son on the bed whispering "Rest now Naruto, I am going to save your mother. I will be back".

**Undisclosed Location Outside of Konoha**

The masked man approached Kushina and warped away to outside the house. Placing his head on her stomach he begins extracting the Kyuubi. In a couple a minutes a figure is seen erupting from her stomach and materializing in the air. There stood the Nine Tailed Demon Fox in all its glory with nine tails swinging. With a glimpse the masked man traps the Kyuubi under its control. The once red slitted eyes of the Kyuubi are now red with 3 black tomoe's, the sharingan glowing in all its power.

"Wait" said a weak Kushina realizing what was about to happen.

"Incredible. The Uzumaki Clan is simply incredible. Not even extracting a tailed beast from you is enough to kill you" said the masked man as he commanded the Kyuubi to kill his former jinchuriki. "It's only fitting that the Kyuubi kills its container" he said.

As the Kyuubi is about to crush Kushina a yellow flash is seen. Standing in a tree not far away we see Minato with Kushina in his arms bridal style. "He really lives up to his name Minato Namikaze Konoha's Yellow Flash" he says warping to the edge of the village.

Minato flashed to the Namikaze Compound laying Kushina near her son as she embraces him. "Kushina, I am going to stop the Kyuubi. Take care of him" he said and in a yellow flash is gone.

**North Entrance of Konoha**

It was a warm, calm summer night in the hidden village of the leaf. Lights were seen all around the village as the people followed their lives unaware of what was about to happen.

"**Summoning Jutsu**" the masked man said slapping his palm on the ground and his burst of smoke there it stood the Kyuubi ready to unleash its fury upon the unsuspecting village. Suddenly a roar is heard as the Kyuubi starts its destruction. Swinging its tails and using its paws nothing stood in his away.

"Lord Third Hokage, the Kyuubi has appeared in the North part of the village" said an Anbu has he bowed to the Third Hokage.

"Yes I heard it. Summon the forces and evacuate the civilians. They must push the Kyuubi out of the village and wait for the fourth" said the Third.

Minato Namikaze is seen standing in the top of the hokage monument ready to go face the Kyuubi when he senses a presence behind him. Quickly ducking and turning around he swings a kunai only to phase through the head of his enemy. Suddenly everything begins to become distorted as the masked man starts to absorb in a ripple like pattern Minato, before its finished Minato disappears. He flashed away to his safe house.

**Safe House – After Minato escaped masked man**

"That technique" Minato said pondering what he just experienced. "It's a space-time technique more advanced than my own. It happens it doesn't require seals or I would have seen them with my sharingan. It is best if hide my sharingan under a genjutsu. I don't know who he is but his chakra signature seems familiar".

Suddenly a figure starts to appear just a few meters away from Minato. There it stood the masked man preparing to face the legendary Yellow Flash. The man stared at each other each one daring to make the first move.

"Who are you?" asked Minato as he wondered who could possibly have the power to not only unleash but also control de Kyuubi.

"My name is long forgotten and despised in the history of this village. I was once known as Madara Uchiha but you can call me Tobi" he replied chuckling at the irony of asking a masked man who he is.

Both warriors dashed at each other in a battle for speed. The fastest would win. Minato simply throws his **Hiraishin** kunai at Tobi as its phase through his head. Getting closer to each other, preparing for the face off, Minato charges a **Rasengan** in his right hand preparing to slam it into Tobi, Tobi is about to touch Minato preparing to absorb him "Victory is mine" he says and suddenly Minato disappears from his sight only to appear behind is back using the kunai he previously threw. Minato twists his body slamming the **Rasengan** into Tobi vaporizing the area and marking Tobi with **Hiraishin** Seal.

"I underestimated him" Tobi says when suddenly Minato appears in front of him stabbing him with a kunai and applying a contract remove seal to free the kyuubi. Tobi seeing that he lost this battle says "I will be back and I will get my revenge on the leaf village" as he warps away.

"Something tells me he wasn't joking and he's a Uchiha with a similar chakra signature. I wonder who he is?" thought Minato as he gets up getting ready to stop the Kyuubi flashing to the battlefield.

**Battlefield Konoha Northern Part of the Village**

In the battlefield stood the Third leading the forces trying his best to push the Kyuubi away from the village when suddenly he ears. "**Summoning Jutsu**" Minato says as he drops on top with Kyuubi with his summon Gamabunta de toad boss pinning the Kyuubi into the ground. "Try and hold him down as long as you can. Teleporting something this big requires preparation" he says to the toad boss as Minato prepares to teleport the Kyuubi away from the village.

"**Are you crazy? I am not a miracle worker. Hurry**" Gamabunta says. Suddenly both Minato and Kyuubi disappear.

**Near the Safe House**

Arriving near the safe house with the Kyuubi on its toll Minato is panting from the massive chakra usage he just pulled to teleport the Kyuubi.

"**Fourth hokage, quick you must seal me, I can still feel that damn Uchiha pushing me. I REFUSE TO BE CONTROLLED**" says the Kyuubi much to Minato's surprise

'He wants me to seal him?' thought Minato as he teleported to the safe house picking up Kushina and Naruto for the ritual. "Kushina I need your help to restrain him. He's still being pushed" he says as Kushina gathers the remains of her chakra to form chains to snare the Kyuubi to the ground. Minato starts performing a long chain of seals and at the end he shouts "**Reaper Death Seal**"

"**FOURTH HOKAGE, GET OUT OF THE WAY**" the Kyuubi shouts as it feels being driven to kill his next vessel.

However both Minato and Kushina jump in front of his claw protecting their son. "Kushina we don't have much time. Any last words?" he asks Kushina.

"Naruto" she starts "I want you to grow into a nice young man and a strong shinobi. Remember to bathe every day and go to bed early you need your sleep. Also I want you to make friends; you don't need that many only a few as long as they are true friends. Also no drinking until you are twenty and stay away from Jiraya. I am sorry Minato I took your time"

"Don't worry" he starts "Kyuubi can you look out for my son? I know he will have a hard life." he asks

"It would be my honour. I will take care of your kit" the Kyuubi replies wondering just how the hell this night could have happened.

**End of flashback**

With that said, Minato started to disappear, Naruto spoke "Don't worry dad, I will protect the village and I will find a way to talk to you more" after hearing this Minato smiled and disappeared out of existence.

"**Kit you have to wake up, it seems you friends are in trouble, don't use the curse seal, if you do then it will put great damage to your body but don't worry, use my chakra along with it to negate it's effect but I still think it is not wise to use it**" stated the fox

"You are the best Kurama" stated the blond. After hearing this Kurama only smiled and Naruto disappeared from there.

**End of Naruto's Mindscape**

Sasuke did stop his advance on Dosu, but not because of Sakura. It was because of a second pulse of chakra that was equal to if not stronger then what was coming from Sasuke, and that was coming from Sakura's direction. Turning his attention towards her he, as well as everyone else, saw what it was. There stood Naruto, but this was not the happy-go-lucky Naruto everyone knew, it was the serious Naruto that only team 7 and Iruka had seen. Sasuke had appeared menacing with his Sharingan and black flame markings, Naruto with blood red eyes that possessed and animalistic slit for a pupil and deepen whisker marks. But like Sasuke it wasn't his appearance that frightened those around, but the feeling coming off his chakra. Sasuke's chakra felt like it was some poison that would slowly consume you from within in a steady controlled manner. Naruto's chakra felt like more like a raging wild-fire that would quickly burn and consume you from the outside.

"Hm…Well Naruto, it looks like you finally woke up." commented Sasuke, eyeing Naruto.  
>"STOP" Was Naruto's response, looking at Sasuke, then Sakura, and finally turning his attention to Dosu. He did not like how Sakura looked and if what he saw was right then it would be the sound-nin that would feel his wrath.<p>

Needless to say Dosu was terrified. Not only did Sasuke have the power of a Curse Seal, but his teammate had a similar yet different power. "You two are far too strong." He said drawing Sasuke's attention again. Placing his Earth scroll upon the ground, he started to move to gather his teammates. "Consider this a peace offering to allow myself and my team to leave."

"Hm…To quote the one who gave us this power, 'Why would we accept the scroll when we can just kill you and take it?'." said Sasuke, sounding like Orochimaru, as he started to advance on Dosu, this time with Naruto by his side.

"STOP IT!" Shouted a terrified Sakura as she brought her arms around their shoulder and hugged both of them. "Please, stop." was all she said as she wept while trying to turn her teammates and best friends back to normal. This time her voice reached them and their seals deactivated.

Sasuke's markings receded as he came out of his anger and revenge obsessed state. At the same time Naruto's eyes and chakra turned back to normal.

"Even with those seals deactivated, my offer still stands. I would continue, but there are things I must find out." said Dosu as he picked up Zaku and move towards Kin. "But I will promise you this. If we meet again in this exam, we will neither run nor hide." He said as he picked up the kunoichi.

"Wait!" shouted Sakura, catching Dosu's attention. "Who is Orochimaru? And what are these seals he put on Sasuke and Naruto?" She questioned.

'So, he put a Curse Seal on the blond, but that was not the effect of his seal' thought Dosu as he answered. "I don't know. We were simply ordered to kill Sasuke, nothing else." 'What are you planning Lord Orochimaru? First you order us to kill Sasuke, only to attack him first. And instead of killing him, you gave him a Curse Seal which he could live through and get stronger because of it. And what kind of seal did you put on this Naruto kid' with that the team of ninja from Oto disappeared into the forest.

**Later**

Team 7 had reached the tower just after it had started to get dark. They had travelled comfortably without any other team confronting them. After they had reached the tower they opened the scrolls. The scrolls had a summoning seal inside them. Their scroll summoned Iruka who explained to them the meaning of the scrolls and congratulated them on passing the second test. Iruka told them of where they ought to be resting. The Genin's went inside the tower and got inside their room. Naruto went straight to his bed without doing anything else. He jumped onto the bed and was fast to fall asleep.

Sasuke said nothing; he looked at Naruto and went to his own bed. He needed to rest. What he had done for the day was rewarding for him to get some much needed rest. Sakura saw that Sasuke too had gone to get some sleep.

She sighed, 'They went to sleep without even bathing when there is a shower' she thought to herself. She had slept the previous night without bathing she was not going to do it again. Not to her precious body.

**The Next Day**

"Sasuke don't use the cursed seal" stated the blond  
>"Why?" asked Sasuke<p>

"It gives great power, but at the same time it gives Orochimaru a way to control you. That seal binds you to his own will and your anger accelerates the process and gives his will a better control of you" stated Naruto

"So what do I do?" asked Sasuke  
>"Defeat your anger" replied Naruto<br>"How?" asked Sasuke

"Join your fist with mine and start meditating" ordered the blond with that said, they joined their fist and started meditating, it took a while but it was successful.

**Sasuke's Mindscape**

In front of Naruto stood an 8 year old Sasuke, crying and muttering something that he did not understand. Soon the environment changed and now he was standing in Sasuke's house, at the same spot when his father and mother were killed by his so called brother Itachi. There lay the dead bodies of Sasuke's parent's and besides them was an 8 year old Sasuke.

"I couldn't protect them, they died because I was weak, I was too weak to protect them" stated an 8 year old boy still crying and sobbing.

Naruto went ahead and put his hand on his head and give him a warm smile and stated "No, you were not weak, by the time we came here they were already dead, it was not your fault"

"Even though it was not my fault, I still have to avenge my clan, I am the last Uchiha so it is my responsibility to kill Itachi, I will kill him, I am an avenger" stated the 8 year boy with hate and anger in his words, it was not like a child speaking, but like a devil.

"Sure you can kill him, you can avenge your clan, but why do you insist of leaving everything to complete just one goal, when you can have everything and still you can complete your goal. Plus you don't have a time limit to do so, so you can take as long as you want to complete that dream" he said smiling at the child.

Soon the boy turned to a 12 year old Sasuke and he hugged Naruto and spoke "Thanks for saving me"

They both heard a laugher coming from another direction, they turned around, and noticed, there stood the dark Sasuke filled with negative emotions and anger and hatred, with the feeling of revenge, laughing like a maniac.

"Who are you?" asked Sasuke

"I am you, I am the hate that lives within you, I am a part of you, I am the real you" he spoke and asked "Why do you smile? Don't you hate the man who did this to you?"

"Yes" was the simple reply of the boy as he smile and continued "I hate him and I want to kill him, but like my brother said,' you can avenge your clan, but why do you insist of leaving everything to complete just one goal, when you can have everything and still you can complete your goal. Plus you don't have a time limit to do so, so you can take as long as you want to complete that dream', so I am gonna follow his advice"

"Why? Why are you not devoted for revenge?" asked the dark Sasuke "And what about me? It was me who was there throughout the pain and loss you received"

"Yes you are right, you were there with him when he received that pain, and you should now stay with him to receive the good end of it. You should stay with him and feel the joy of being loved and of having friend, you should feel every bit of his happiness too just like you felt every bit of his sufferings, after all you are a part of him that he cannot reject, he can simply accept you and show kindness to you" with that said Naruto gave a gesture to Sasuke, Sasuke went ahead and hugged the dark Sasuke who soon began to burst into crying and soon after vanished.

**End of Sasuke's Mindscape**

"So now that it's done, can I use the seal" asked Sasuke

'**No he can't, the seal allows you to use sage chakra but put a great damage on the body after use and you both have defeated your darker images but that doesn't mean that you are unaffected by that snakes will, the longer you use it the more better his control will become**' said Kurama in his mind

"Yes, you can use the seal, but use it only as last resort" Naruto stated, Sasuke was about to say something to him but failed when Naruto spoke again "The seal allows you to use sage chakra but put a great damage on the body after use. You have defeated your darker image but that doesn't mean that you are unaffected by that snakes will, the longer you use it the more better his control will become" stated the blond

"How do you know so much?" asked Sasuke

"Kurama told me and I know seal to a great depth myself" Naruto stated, "Noting the texture of your seal, I can say that it won't go unless you are dead, he sure used a great seal but doing so he risked our lives on the line, if we would not be strong enough to endure the pain, then we would have been dead by now"

"Ok, so what to do now?" asked Sasuke  
>"Just promise me to use it as a last resort" asked Naruto<br>"Fine, I promise to use it as a last resort" replied Sasuke

"Now let's seal it" said the blond, he continued "I will use a seal that will bind the seal to your will, so you will be able to use at will and when you do not wish to do so, the seal won't take over you"

With that said, Sasuke sat on the ground and Naruto began to make some seals, he did some hand signs and yelled "Ok this is going to hurt,** Seal**" the markings on the ground and on his body started gathering towards the curse seal, making another seal over it. "It's done" he stated, "now I am going to draw the marking again on the ground and you have to do the seal" stated the blond.

Sasuke nodded and Naruto began to draw seal and showed him the hand signs for sealing, he sat on the ground in the middle of the seal, and Sasuke yelled "Seal" and the seal went over to Naruto's cursed seal and formed a new seal over it.

**Later that day**

"So Naruto, Sasuke, want to explain what happened yesterday" asked the hokage  
>"Orochimaru" said Naruto<br>"And" asked Kakashi

"Well, he attacked us and we managed to fight back but in the end he defeated us, messed with my seal, and gave me and Sasuke a cursed seal" said Naruto.

The hokage was still shocked about what Orochimaru did and what he wanted. "Let's seal that cursed seal then" said Kakashi

"Already did that" said Sasuke

"How" asked the shocked hokage. Sasuke simply pointed at Naruto and the hokage understood what he wanted to say. 'He managed to seal it and not only that but they managed to fight Orochimaru too, they are definitely jonin level' thought the hokage. "Anything else" asked the hokage

"Yes" and with that said he explained everything about he knew and also about his meeting with his dad and releasing Kuruma.

"So, Kurama was right about that" he said. The hokage didn't expect this much, but he had faith in him and decided to not to interfere in his matters regarding the Kyuubi. "Do you want me to announce your heritage?" asked the old man

"Announce them at the final exams, after I became a Chunin and keep the sharingan a secret, I don't want anyone to know about it and also about the seal" said the blond

"Very well, and Jiraiya is in the village till the Chunin exams, I am sure he will be glad to meet you" said the hokage

"Yeah, he will and I have some debts to clear with him" said the blond  
>"Anything else" asked the hokage<p>

"Actually yes" with that said he began to tell them about Gaara and his condition, and continued "I think that they want to start a war with us, I am not sure but still it is good to be cautious than to be sorry and I don't think that this is a coincident, think like this, first we have a blood thirsty jinchuriki and then Orochimaru attacked us in the second stage, I doubt that this is a coincidence" replied the blond

"Yes Naruto, I will take proper measures and your team will get a B rank pay for this Intel too" replied the hokage

"Thank you old man" replied the blond  
>"Thank you Lord Hokage" said Kakashi and Sasuke together<p> 


	14. Chapter 13 : The Preliminaries

**Chapter 13: The Preliminaries**

**A few days later**

Naruto looked around standing inside of a hall. It was in the centre of the tower. The dead line had passed and all the Genin's were all gathered in the room. It was only those who passed the second exam. There only people Naruto found to be interesting where Gaara, Kabuto, and Rock Lee.

All the Jonin-sensei's were all in the room. The Hokage was also there sitting on his chair beside him were Anko and Ninja. Above the balcony behind were the Hokage stood there was a statue that showed arms holding a ram seal. Looking at the balcony and were they stood Naruto could tell that the floor they stood at was used for fighting while the balcony was for the spectators.

Anko stepped forward, "Congratulations on passing the second test of the Chunin exams!" She said looking around the room. Many Genin's had passed her test she had not been expecting these many to pass. "The Hokage will now explain the third exam." She said giving the time to the Hokage to address the Genin's. Everyone looked at the Hokage to hear what he was going to say.

The Hokage cleared his throat and spoke "Before I explain the third exam to you, I would like to tell you the true meaning of this Chunin selection exam. Why do we have allied countries taking the exam at the same time, even some neutral countries?" He paused to let them think before answering his own question, "To promote friendship among countries, to raise the standard of shinobi, do not be confused this exam is war,"

The genin grew confused and the tension rose within the large room. "If we were to turn back time at some point all of us would be fighting the other country over who would rule. This exam is an alternate that allows countries to avoid such wasteful fighting. For the third exam lords of all the countries as well as leaders of your villages will all be watching your fights. You will fight with your life on the line, not to protect your home's land but its prestige. If your country is seen as weak you will lose clients. If you are strong you will gain clients bolstering your homes. If your country is seen as strong it will also send a message to all nations." The Hokage paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"Isn't there another way to protect the village's prestige without having to risk our lives?" A random genin asked to which some other Genin's nodded in agreement with his words.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at the Genin's. "The strength of the country is the strength of the village, such as the strength of a village is the strength of a shinobi. A shinobi's strength is only born in life threatening battle." The Hokage replied seriously, "This exam only has a meaning because there is life threatening battles. Friendship between countries requires this. We call this friendship excising." The Hokage said as a man shunshined next to him and bowed in respect.

"Allow me to *cough* explain the third test *cough* Hokage." The man spoke looking at the Hokage. The Hokage nodded and went back to his seat. The Jonin turned to face the Genin's.

"I am Gekko Hayate the proctor of the third exam." The jonin introduced him, "There is something we must do before the third exam." The Genin's looked at the man he looked like he was really sick by the way he was coughing. "There is to be preliminaries to decide who gets to participate in the main event." The third proctor said before coughing.

"What the hell Preliminaries!" A bored looking Nara asked the question.

"We have too many participants for the third test thus we have to thin out the numbers under the Chunin exam rules." He paused for a moment before speaking "Those who wish to withdraw may step forward now. This is individual basis should you quit your team will not be penalized for it."

Kabuto raised his hand and stepped forward, "I quit. I'm low on chakra." He said leaving the hall.

Hayate coughed, "Is there anyone else who wants to quite?" He asked getting the attention of the Genin's. No one else came forward they had come this far they were not going down without a fight.

"Okay we have 22 contestants which mean we will have 11 matches the winners of each will advance to the finals. The rules are simple, there are no rules. The match continues until one dies or is knocked. If you wish to give up you can forfeit. I will step in should you be declared winner and you continue to beat your opponent." He paused letting the Genin's absorb his words. "Now let us see who you will be matched against." He said looking at the black screen, "This electronic screen will randomly select two contestants who will fight at a time. Now lets us begin!"

The genin waited for their names to pop up in the screen. Naruto just looked at the screen blankly he wished he did not get someone who would waste his time. Two names appeared in the screen "Sasuke Uchiha vs. Akado Yoroi" some felt relieved that they went going to fight first. Others were disappointed they wanted it over with.

**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Akado Yoroi**

"Will the two contestants please step forward, the rest of you please proceed to the observation platform above." Hayate spoke after coughing. The Genin's walked away to the observation area. The sensei's stood behind their students

Sasuke looked at his opponent with an arrogant smirk on his face. He was fully prepared to fight, he had gotten enough rest. He took out a kunai and got into a stance. Yoroi took out three shuriken's and held them with both his hands.

He threw them at Sasuke. Sasuke waited for the shuriken's to block them with his kunai. Yoroi ran at fast speeds towards Sasuke. The shuriken's reached Sasuke, he deflected them. He was not able to react fast as Yoroi was in front of him while he was blocking the last shuriken. He had yet to activate his sharingan thus he was not able to detect the oncoming right hook from his opponent. It connected with his right side of the face and pushed him back.

Sasuke cursed himself for making such a stupid mistake and getting hit early. He activated his sharingan. He rushed towards the oncoming genin prepared to a taijutsu battle. He was faster than his opponent thus he was able to use the advantage of his speed. Yoroi brought his right hand trying to smack Sasuke on the face, but Sasuke saw it coming and easily dodged. He tried to kick Sasuke but the Uchiha caught his leg and landed and hard punch to the face. Sasuke let go of Yoroi's leg and spun around kicking the Genin on his shoulder. Yoroi was sent crashing in to the wall. He gritted his teeth at the slight pain he felt and quickly recovered rushing of Sasuke.

Sasuke waited for his opponent to arrive. Yoroi jumped up attempting to punch Sasuke with much force. Sasuke side stepped the attempt and gutted the genin. Yoroi hissed clutching his stomach. Sasuke was not done he brought out his right hand and gripped the genin by the neck. He glared at the Genin with enough coldness that would make anyone gulp in fear. He was busy formulating a plan on what to do now that he had his opponent. Yoroi suddenly broke free from Sasuke's hold. He held Sasuke by his right hand sucking out of his chakra.

Sasuke only realized it when he his reserves were starting to empty. He quickly tried to separate himself with Yoroi. What he got from his attempt was a hard kick on the face that sent him flying away. He flipped in mid-air and landed gracefully on the floor. He glared at his opponent who had a grin on his face. Yoroi looked as if he had won the match, but Sasuke was not going to give up easily because his chakra got sucked. He inhaled large amounts of wind and did a few hand seals.

"**Fire style: Great fire ball Jutsu**" He exhaled a large fireball that sped towards the grinning Yoroi. Sasuke was positive that his opponent would not be able to dodge since he was not faster than him. He ended the Jutsu and fell on one knee panting. His chakra was running low he should have not done the jutsu. An insane chuckle invaded his ears. He looked forward to see Yoroi standing just away from him unharmed by his jutsu.

"I see you still had some chakra left." Yoroi spoke with a bit of amusement in his voice. Sasuke just got up and glared at him.

Yoroi rushed forward so that he could end the match before the Uchiha came up with a plan to win the match. Sasuke waited till Yoroi was in front of him. He acted fast and brought out his left hand aiming Yoroi's face. Yoroi saw it coming and grabbed Sasuke's hand. He smirked at the Uchiha but it vanished quickly when he saw a wide smirk on Sasuke's face. Before he could know why Sasuke was smirking he received and punch to the gut that had him coughing a bit of blood. He let go of Sasuke's hand. Sasuke dropped to the ground and did a leg sweep. Yoroi was falling down when Sasuke grabbed both his legs and spun around twice before throwing him up. Sasuke jumped up moving fast than his opponent.

Yoroi looked up to see Sasuke waiting for him. Sasuke was facing down the ground when he mastered all his power in a single kick. The kick connected with Yoroi's chest sending him down fast. Yoroi crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. Everyone winced at the sound of Yoroi's body hitting the ground. Sasuke landed down and smirked when he looked at Yoroi, he was out cold.

Hayate stepped in forward and coughed before announcing the winner, "Winner, Sasuke Uchiha" Sasuke smiled and tiredly walked to where his team was standing. The medics rushed to take the fallen Yoroi out the floor to clear the space for other competitors.

"Nice work" replied Naruto as he saw Sasuke coming up  
>"I hope you do the same and end it fast, don't play with your opponent" replied Sasuke<br>"I'll see who the opponent is, and then I'll decide what to do" replied Naruto  
>"Ok" replied Sasuke<p>

**Kankuro vs. Misumi**

Kankuro easily wins his battle against Misumi by tricking him into attacking Karasu, Kankuro's puppet. In retaliation, Karasu snaps Misumi's neck, though he survives due to his ability to contort himself.

**Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka**

The fourth match is between Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka. After the two exchange insults, they have flash backs from when they were kids. They then decide to take the battle seriously. Sakura and Ino are evenly matched. They both use illusion clone jutsu, chakra string jutsu and others. Finally, Ino tries a desperate move, her Mind Body Switch Technique. She succeeds and takes control over Sakura's body. As she prepares to force Sakura to forfeit, Naruto, believing in Sakura as her teammate, and cheers Sakura on and like a voice of reason or a spiritual hand, Naruto's cheering voice awakens Sakura and inadvertently awakens her Inner Sakura, who forces Ino out of her body in a brutal and physical force. Both drained of their chakra, Ino and Sakura decide to end the battle with a giant final Cha Blow. They dash towards each other with all they're power inserted into one fist each. The rivals both at the same with a punch on their both of their faces each and knock each other out, resulting in a double knockout tie, and eliminating both from the finals.

**Temari vs. Tenten**

The next match is between Temari and Tenten. Tenten's weapon summoning is negated by Temari's wind-based attacks, and she is defeated.

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi**

Shikamaru Nara and Kin Tsuchi are chosen for the next match. Although Kin ensnares Shikamaru in a genjutsu, he captures her in his Shadow Imitation Technique. He forces her to knock herself unconscious.

**Choji Akimichi vs. Dosu**

Despite having formulated a strategy beforehand, Choji quickly loses to Dosu, concluding the preliminaries.

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka**

It was the time for the next match; the board started switching the names and stopped at the name of Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka, "Will Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka step forward" said the instructor

"End it quickly" replied Sasuke  
>"I will" replied Naruto<br>"This is a piece of cake" replied Kiba and Akamaru barked in agreement

They arrived in the middle, the whole crowd was shouting for Kiba, Kakashi, Gai and Sasuke paid no attention because they already knew his strength and what was about to happen.

"This is too easy" said Kiba  
>"I know" Naruto stated<br>"Get ready Naruto" yelled Kiba  
>"Begin" yelled the protractor<p>

Naruto threw a kunai towards him, Kiba dodged and was about to make a move but before anyone could see and disappeared and reappeared behind Kiba and knocked him out by hitting him on the neck.

**With the spectators**

'_Was that the __Hiraishin, Flying Thunder God Jutsu? But when did he learn that? He did throw the kunai, what was that?_' thought Kakashi

"I told him to finish it fast, I honestly didn't expect this" muttered Sasuke  
>'<em>What the hell just happened?<em>' thought Gai and Lee and many others  
>"Hey Kakashi, what was that?" asked Gai<br>"I have no idea" replied Kakashi  
>"I don't know anything about it either" replied Sasuke<p>

**On the Field**

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki" yelled the still shocked protractor

**With Naruto**

Naruto flashed at the balcony along with Kiba and Akamaru and laid them there and looked at Kurenai and spoke "Don't worry, he is alright just unconscious"

"Naruto, what was the jutsu you used?" asked Kurenai

Everybody gathered there to hear the blonds answer, even the hokage was there to know what happened, every single genin, Chunin and jonin was there to listen to him. "That was simply **substitution jutsu** that I used" replied the blond

"But with what did you replace yourself and we didn't even saw any hand signs?" asked Gai

"I didn't need any hand signs that because I mastered it to that extent where I can use it without hand signs, in fact I can perform many jutsu without hand seals, that includes **henge**, **shadow clone** and **fire ball**. And to answer your other question, I replaced myself with the kunai that I threw. This technique cannot be used for larger distance like my dad's but it's still quite effective" replied the blond

To say that everybody was amazed would be a shame of words, they were shocked and confused, "And Naruto who was your dad?" asked Lee "and also what jutsu of his are you talking about" he added

"Wait till the finals by then you all will know who I am talking about" stated the blond. Before anyone could ask any more questions, he was saved by the announcement.

**Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga**

"Will Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga step forward" asked the protractor

The next match is Hinata Hyuga against Neji Hyuga, her brother from the branch house of the Hyuga clan.

She activates her Byakugan and the fight begins. The entire fight consists of Hinata and Neji using the legendary Hyuga fighting style. After a while of evenly matched taijutsu and blue chakra flying all over the place, Hinata appears to have the advantage. She manages to graze Neji barely which is enough using her fighting style (even a graze can cause fatal internal damage). After another few moments of punches, Hinata and Neji are in a stand still. Someone has landed a big hit. A shot of Hinata's heart is shown just before you see Neji's palm on Hinata's chest. Hinata coughs up some blood but toughs it out and in a desperate attempt to hit Neji. He blocks it at the last second and sticks to of his fingers into Hinata's arm. The Hokage realizes why Neji is called the genius of the Hyuga clan. Hinata's bare arm is shown with red spots all over it. Neji explains that he has hit Hinata's Tenketsu (a Tenketsu is like a chakra hole. There are hundreds of them throughout the body and if hit properly can increase or block chakra in that part of the body). Then he hits her again in the chest sending her flying back.

Neji intimidates and berates his cousin, and she seems ready to forfeit. After a few insults thrown by Neji, Hinata gets back up, more determined than ever, Hinata comes at Neji full force. While she is fighting, she has flashbacks of Naruto. After another attempt at landing a hit, Neji once again blacks and hits her in the face. Everyone is thinking and thinking either that this fight is over, or Hinata is going to die except for Gaara is shaking with excitement on his perch. Again, Hinata won't give up. She charges once again at Neji. He dodges (again) and hits her in the chest. A huge amount of chakra comes out of Hinata's back and she falls to the ground. Naruto cheers Hinata on, giving her the strength to fight back. Hinata and Neji fight each other using **Gentle Fist style**, which uses bursts of chakra to damage the opponent's internal organs. Neji reveals that he had been toying with Hinata, and he disables her ability to use chakra with the **Gentle Fist style**. Hinata, inspired by Naruto, refuses to give up. She tells Neji that she believes that he is suffering more from fighting his destiny. Angered, Neji attempts a fatal blow and hit her sending her off the ground.

Hinata was about to fall to the ground on her head when Naruto flashed from there just in time to catch her, he held her hand and pushed some of the Kyuubi's chakra into her body, she immediately regained some strength and looked up to see that Naruto was holding her, he spoke "You know, you did great, now you should rest"

"Winner Neji Hyuga" said the protractor  
>"But I lost, I am not strong as you" replied the shy girl<p>

"Don't worry about that, I failed the graduation exam because I didn't knew the clone jutsu and now see, I can make thousands of shadow clone which I bet besides Sasuke no one could ever make. You can beat him later, you just need to practice some more. I was also weak at one point but I practiced hard to get here, you will also be strong, you just have to practice, but for now rest" Naruto said and continued "You know Hinata, you are cute and I kind of like you"

'_He likes me, he really likes me, he thinks I am cute, don't fain, and don't faint_' she thought as she stood up to face Neji

Neji saw that she was alive and in rage he activated his byakugan and come at her with an intent to kill, when he was about to lay a strike on her, Naruto came forward like her shield and held his chakra enhanced arm like it was nothing and the next thing they noticed was Gai holding his body along with Kakashi and Kurenai.

"Get a hold of yourself Neji" stated Gai

Hinata was practically fine, but she fainted due to chakra exhaustion, Naruto gave her enough chakra to heal her body but he forgot about chakra exhaustion, Naruto caught her again as she fainted and he was continuously looking at her until Neji spoke.

"You, looser" said Neji and Naruto faced him and he continued "I have two pieces of advice for you. First of all, if you intent to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid chewing of yours because it's disgraceful and second, once a failure always a failure, you can't change that"

"We will see about that" said Naruto, the medics took her to rest and he bent down and placed his finger on her blood and turned towards Neji with his fist raised towards him '_Hinata, I give you my word_' thought Naruto

Everybody watched as they knew he was making an oath on her blood.  
>'<em>He is dead<em>' thought Sasuke  
>'<em>He got what he deserved<em>' thought Sakura  
>'<em>He got on his bad side, this is bad<em>' thought Kakashi  
>'<em>I hope you can get of the mess you created Neji<em>' thought Gai

Naruto spoke "I vow to win"

"Will Rock Lee and Gaara of the sand please step forward" asked the protractor

**Rock Lee vs. Gaara**

The next set of matchups is Rock Lee against Gaara. Gaara threw his cork at Lee, who caught it with ease. As soon as the proctor said begin, Lee attacked with the **Leaf Hurricane**, which was blocked by the sand, which astonished Lee (apparently he had not seen Gaara in action yet). The sand arced around him and flew at him, which he dodged by jumping back. At once he attacked twice more with a left punch and kick, both blocked by sand.

At first, Lee's **Strong Fist** taijutsu is ineffective against Gaara's wall of sand that automatically rises to protect him. Hands of sand reach up from the floor trying the grab Lee, but he jumps onto the two giant hands at the end of the arena. Gai tells Lee to take off the weights on his legs, which he letting them drops to the floor, creating huge craters in the floor. Everyone is shocked. At Gai's command, he headed behind Gaara with speed that Gaara sand wall could barely match. His next four attacks ( a punch to the right side of Gaara's head, a kick to his face, a punch to the back of his head, and a punch to his right ribs) are barely blocked, some getting through. Gai starts bragging about Lee. All the while Lee appears behind Gaara, backflips over him, and brings his foot down, scratching Gaara's face. Shock spreads through the Genins. Now there is no doubt that this is an equal fight. Lee once again gives the appearance of being behind Gaara, only to appear in front of him and give him a right hook, sending Gaara flying across the floor. Gaara gets up and a crazed look is upon his face, causing Kankuro to state that the "other Gaara" is now awake.

The sand cakes over Gaara, and Kankuro explains Gaara's sand armour and sand shield combo, stating that it's the ultimate defence. Lee rushes him and attacks with the **Primary Lotus** attack (kicks him into the air, attacking him all the way to the height of the blow, then wrapping the bandages on his arms around Gaara, and using them to twist slam him into the ground). All look at Gaara, whose face cracks and reveals nobody to be inside the armour. It is shown that before the final wrapping attack, Lee flinched which gave Gaara enough time to slip out of his armour.

**With the spectators**

After Lee removed his weights, everybody thought what a few weights could do, but when he dropped them, there was a loud explosion and then everyone's thought changes to how much weight was he wearing. After seeing Lee's speed, everybody had more or less the same thought that he was amazing.

"Why doesn't he use some Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?" asked Sakura  
>"It's simple because he can't" replied Gai<br>"What do you mean?" asked Sakura

"Lee has no skills for ninjutsu or genjutsu, so he skipped it and focused everything thing on taijutsu, that's how we turned his disadvantage into a blessing, now he doesn't need those other things to win, because he has converted himself into world's greatest taijutsu specialist" explained Gai

"What incredible series of kick" exclaimed Kakashi as he saw Lee kicking Gaara from the ground as his sand tried to protect him. Gai prayed for his success and everybody started cheering as they saw Gaara on the floor, but soon they realised that it was a **sand clone**.

"The sand reacts on it's own and he is also wearing a sand armour, it's like a perfect defence" said Naruto. After hearing this, everybody was shocked. "He would not be able to move" exclaimed Naruto

"What is Lee doing just standing there? With his speed, he should easily be able to get out of the way of the blast, why doesn't he dodge them?" asked Sakura

"For a very simple reason he can't dodge them" explained Gai  
>"Huh, why is that?" asked Sakura<p>

"The Primary Lotus is a forbidden jutsu, it's neither genjutsu nor ninjutsu, it's completely taijutsu, the amount of strain it puts on the body is unimaginable. No one can sustain it for long, right now Lee is in so much pain that he can hardly move at all" explained Kakashi

"The lotus of Konoha bloom twice" replied Gai with a smirk on his face  
>"No Gai, you didn't" replied Kakashi in shock<br>"Yes Kakashi, I did" replied Gai  
>"So that genin, that boy is able to open <strong>eight inner gates<strong> and use the **hidden lotus**" asked Kakashi  
>"That's correct" replied Gai with a serious look<br>"Well, if that's isn't the most…" Kakashi trailed off  
>"Okay, so how many of the gates is he able to open now?" asked Kakashi<br>"5 gates" replied Gai

Now Sakura was at the peak, she couldn't understand anything and she spoke "Okay, what exactly is the **eight inner gates** you are talking about and the **hidden lotus**?" asked Sakura

"There are eight inner gates that must be opened to bring out their real strength, the **primary lotus** opens the first gate, **gate of opening**, and the **hidden lotus** is achieved by opening the third gate, **gate of life**" explained Gai

"I am still not following" said Sakura

"There are eight specific points along the chakra circulatory system that limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body, starting at the head they are, **Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Closing, Gate of Joy, Gate of Shock, and The Gate of Death. **The **primary lotus** opens the first gate, **gate of opening**, and the **hidden lotus** is achieved by opening the third gate, **gate of life**" explained Naruto

"Wait a minute, after opening the first gate, Lee was unable to move, what's gonna happen to him if he takes it farther?" asked Sakura

"If anyone opens the eight inner gates they will have strength to surpass even the hokage, the only drawback is… you die" explained Kakashi

But before anyone could argue anymore, Naruto spoke "As long as he don't open the last gate, he'll be fine. Hoe many gates can you open Gai-sensei?" asked Naruto

"I can open 7 gates, but I am curious, how do you know so much?" asked Gai  
>"Simple, I can also open <strong>the inner gates<strong> as can Sasuke" explained Naruto

"But how?" asked Gai and Kakashi in disbelief  
>"I learned it from the forbidden scroll" explained Naruto<br>"And how many gates can you and Sasuke can open?" asked Gai  
>"5 gates" replied Sasuke<br>"All of them" replied Naruto

"WHAT" yelled everyone that was in on the conversation  
>"But how?" asked Gai<br>"Kurama" replied Naruto  
>"What or who is Kurama" asked Sakura<p>

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and I am the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox, his name is Kurama, because of his healing power, I can survive the drawback of opening the last gate" replied Naruto. Now this was surprising, most them knew about the kyuubi but Gai didn't knew that he was the son of the fourth hokage while Sakura didn't knew that the fox was sealed inside him. Any further conversation was left as they saw Lee fall to the ground and Gaara with a last blow with intent to kill.

**On the field**

Gaara reappears and attacks Lee, who is weakened from using his **Primary Lotus** again and hits him with and wall of sand, slamming him into the wall. He then proceeds to attack him with another round of sand, which Lee barely blocks. Gai points out that the Forward Lotus has tired Lee to the point of exhaustion. Gaara attacks Lee again, causing him to land a few feet away. Lee is running away from Gaara's sand attacks, and is surprisingly able to use his speed again. Lee recovers by opening the Second Gate, shocking the Jonin observers in the audience. He then proceeds to open the third and fourth gates, shocking Gaara. Gai states that "the lotus of Konoha will bloom again" and he and Kakashi start talking about the 8 inner gates and Lee's ability to use them.

In order to bounce back from his injuries, Lee released the 2nd gate, the gate of rest. Before doing so, he had to open the gate of opening. Next, he opened the 3rd gate, the gate of life, turning his skin red from the power. Then he opens the 4th gate, the gate of pain. After that, Lee makes his move, running across the floor so fast that the ground breaks in his wake. Lee's increased speed overwhelms Gaara's sand defences. He begins the **Hidden Lotus**, kicking Gaara into the air and through the ceiling, and it is noted that his sand can't keep up. He appears in front of Gaara, punching him towards the ground, following up with a punch up from behind in a split second. He continues this ping pong action and it is noted that Lee's muscles are tearing.

Lee's power, accuracy, strength, and speed increase outstandingly, allowing Lee to inflict extreme injuries on Gaara. Lee finally appears in front of Gaara, releasing the 5th gate, the gate of closing. Lee shouts to Neji that this move was to be used on him, but he'll give him a sneak preview. Lee then proceeds to wrap his left hand bandage around Gaara, punching him down with his right and pulling him up with the bandage only to punch him straight down again into the floor, causing a huge explosion. Lee falls limp to the floor. Gaara is thought to be finished, but when the dust clears, it is revealed that the gourd itself was made out of sand and was used to cushion Gaara's fall. Gaara survives by softening his fall with sand and uses his sand coffin to crush Lee's left arm and leg. Gaara moves his sand to finish Lee, but Guy blocks the final attack. Lee, though unconscious due to the pain and covered in blood, rises to continue the battle, his desire to win fuelling his broken body.

Naruto jumped next to him and channelled some of the Kyuubi's chakra through his body in order to save him, he turned towards Gai and spoke "He is out of danger, but his body had suffered much damage, I don't think he will be able to be a ninja again". After hearing this Gai went in depression and started crying and Naruto spoke again "Maybe no one in Konoha can heal him, but there is someone who can"

This caught Gai's attention and he spoke "Who?"  
>"Tsunade of the sannin" the blond replied<br>"But she hasn't returned in ages" replied Gai  
>"I'll bring her back, it's a promise of a life time" Naruto vouched<p>

"…..Time allows for you to know yourself better and your enemy. During this time you will be able to study your opponent's abilities. In this month you will have the chance to improve yourselves." The hokage said while eyeing Naruto. "Now, let us decide who you will face at the finals, take a piece of paper from the box that Anko is holding." He said pointing at Anko.

The genins that had made it to the finals did as told. Each piece of paper they too had a number written on it. They presented their numbers and where drawn of who would face who.

**Match 1: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga  
>Match 2: Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro<br>Match 3: Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari  
>Match 4: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the sand<strong>

"Are there any questions?" The hokage asked.

"Since this is a tournament does it mean that the winner of the tournament will be the only one who becomes Chunin?" Shikamaru asked.

"Different judges judge in the tournament, if someone is judged to posses' skills and mentality of the Chunin he/she will be promoted to Chunin. It does not matter if they win or lose their matches. There is also a chance that none of you become chunin but there is also a chance that you can all become chunin. It depends if whether you are fit to become a chunin or not." The hokage said, "Are there any more questions?" He waited for the genins to give their answer, seeing that there were no more questions he spoke again, "Good you are all dismissed."

One by one the genins left the tower. Naruto and Sasuke were stopped by Kakashi from leaving the tower for a moment, "Meet me at training ground tomorrow morning." Kakashi said and disappeared from their view.

**The next day – Training Ground 7**

Naruto and Sasuke arrived at the ground and they noticed that this was the second time that Kakashi was not late. "Good Morning Sensei" they both greeted.

"Good morning to you too" he said and turned to see Sasuke and spoke "Now the reason I called you here is that I am taking Sasuke for a one month training trip" he turned towards Naruto and continued "And for you Naruto, Jiraiya, your godfather is in the village, he will be training you in the meantime. He will be near a bath house or hot spring doing his research" he again turned towards Sasuke and spoke "Pack up and meet me in one hour at the gate". He was about to leave but turned back and threw a scroll to Naruto "That scroll contains **Chidori**, one my prized jutsu, as you both are my students, therefore I am teaching you both this jutsu" he spoke and the left using a **shunshin**

**Flashback – Minato's House**

"So this is my dad's house" the blond stated and went inside the house. "This place have not been opened for the last 12 years and still it has no dust at all" he said and continued "My dad was really an extraordinary ninja, to build seals like this, it would take me months"

He went ahead and started inspecting everything and sealed the important things. He came across a book and started reading it. The title of the book was 'The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja' and the author was 'Jiraiya'. He read the name of the main hero and it was 'Naruto'.

'_Naruto, the name of the lead character is Naruto, so that means my name was picked from this book, and if I am not mistaken, Jiraiya was my dad's sensei, so that means that he is my godfather. He abandoned me, the next time I see him, I am gonna clear some things out_' he thought and went back to his work

He cleaned the house although there was no cleaning needed, sealed all the important things in a scroll, and placed a security seal on the house. He unpacked his things and placed them in the house. He decided that he should live here, because the house was his own and he won't need to give rent for his apartment and the house was also bigger than his apartment.

**End of flashback**

"Hey, wait Sasuke, take this" Naruto said as he brought a scroll and a wrist band from his pouch, "It is a storage seal to store weapons, it will be very helpful in fights" he said pointing at the wrist band, "and this is a special scroll, any kunai or shuriken you store in it, will get market by a special seal" he said as he brought out a shuriken with a seal and threw it towards the trees and made a hand sign and yelled "**Release**" and the shuriken burst into fire, making it like a **fire style: shuriken**.

"Wow that was amazing, what the hell was that?" Sasuke asked

"It was a special shuriken marked with my chakra manipulation seal, although it was a prototype for a bigger project, but it works just fine. After use, the seal will disappear; all you have to do is to seal the shuriken or kunai in this scroll and then activate the seal on it, I warn you it takes a hell amount of chakra, after that unseal your shuriken or kunai and you are ready to go. Throw it and while in air, make a **horse seal** for manipulating the chakra inside the seal, the order is **fire-wind-lightning-water-earth**, after that make a **ram seal** to release it. Make a ram seal again to activate the burst mode, in burst mode it will release every bit of chakra at once, while in normal mode, it will release chakra slowly" he explained

"Unbelievable, you have just created a perfect weapon" Sasuke muttered

"Oh and give one pair to Kakashi sensei too" Naruto said as he brought another pair out of his pouch and handed it to Sasuke.

"Well, see you later" Naruto spoke  
>"Good luck, I hope to fight you soon" said Sasuke<br>"Good luck to you too" said Naruto


	15. Chapter 14 : Training With Jiraiya

**Chapter 14: Training With Jiraiya**

**Later that day – Near a bath house**

"Hey what are you doing? Peeking at women's, I won't tolerate this" yelled a man  
>"Oh please" the other one said and summoned a toad and knocked him down<br>"That's Ebisu sensei" Naruto remembered

"What's wrong with you? Keep it down, do you want us to get busted? You idiot" replied the old man with a calm voice and a smile on his face

**Flashback**

"So honourable grandson, time to go home" the instructor yelled  
>"No way" yelled Konohamaru<p>

"I am learning how to beat my grandfather, so that I can get the title, Hokage" yelled the boy

"A hokage is more than just a fighter, he must know virtue, honour, wisdom and must be skilled in a thousand jutsu, you don't even know one jutsu" said the instructor

At this Konohamaru formed a hand signs and yelled "**Transform**" and transformed into a nude girl. After seeing that it didn't affect his sensei, he turned towards Naruto and spoke "Hey, he is not defeated"

"What disgusting jutsu is that? It won't affect me, I am far above this" yelled the instructor and held his scarf and started pulling him and spoke "Stop this at once, Naruto is turning you into a deliquesce, only my training will put you in a fast track in becoming the hokage"

Now Naruto was pissed, he performed his favourite jutsu, "**Shadow clone jutsu**" he yelled and there were 20 clones in existence

"Wow, unbelievable" yelled Konohamaru  
>"I am not some light weight like Mizuki, watch and learn how it is done" Ebisu exclaimed<p>

As he got in the middle of the group, Naruto yelled "**Harem Jutsu**" and with that all his clones **henged** into nude girl and cling to him, sending him flying off with a nosebleed. The hokage who was also watching was sent off backwards with a nosebleed.

**End of flashback**

He went ahead to check him, "Hey perv, you awake?" asked Naruto, to make sure he made a hand seal and poked it in his butt and said "**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years Of Death**". He turned towards the old man and spoke "Hey who are you? Why did you knocked him down?"

"Well he shouldn't have interfered with my research" replied the old man  
>"Your research" said Naruto<p>

"You see, I am a novelist, I am a writer of great books, like this -" the old man said and brought out an Icha-Icha book

"What you wrote that" Naruto yelled as he remembered the books cover, he has not read it from a long time  
>"Yes, I see you know it" he said and started laughing<br>'I am famous and it's not even in the market yet' he thought

"Research, yeah right, just an excuse for you to peek at girls in the bath house" yelled Naruto loud enough and every girl heard it and they ran out of there

"Look at what you have done; you ruined my peeking, I mean my research" yelled the old man  
>"Dirty old man" yelled Naruto<p>

"There's nothing dirty about it, I am happen to be a serious artist who is inspired by youth and beauty, that's all" yelled the old man

"Yeah whatever, like anyone believes that, who cares anyway what is your name" yelled and asked Naruto

"I am glad you asked" he said as he summoned a toad and jumped on it and began his dance and continued "I am the hermit of mount myoboku, the wise, and the mortal spirit, that's right, it is I Jiraiya, the toad sage"

Now this did the trick, Naruto was now furious, here was Jiraiya standing before his eyes, his godfather who was standing in front, who has abandoned him, standing still, no hi, no hello and no sorry, just standing. In rage he threw a kunai towards him, Jiraiya dodged it but then realised that Naruto was behind him. Naruto tried to knock him, just like he did with Kiba but Jiraiya managed to get out of the way.

'Was that the Hiraishin, Flying Thunder God Jutsu? But when did he learn that? He did throw the kunai, what was that?' thought Jiraiya

"Don't sweat it, it's not that, it was a simple **substitution**" the blond stated  
>"So how much do you know?" asked Jiraiya<br>"You are my godfather" replied the blond  
>"And what else?" asked Jiraiya<br>"The fact that you abandoned me" replied Naruto

"Wait, I didn't abandon you, I was not in the village after the fourths death, and I was managing my spy network. But I am here now, what say I make up for the time lost" asked Jiraiya

"How?" asked Naruto  
>"By training you" replied the old man<br>"Agreed, you are off the hook for now" replied the blond  
>"So tell me, how much has the old man told you?" asked Jiraiya<br>"Everything, let's just say that he don't hide things from me whether small or big" replied Naruto

"So you know about the kyuubi" asked Jiraiya, Naruto nodded and Jiraiya spoke again "I'll train you how to access its chakra"

"Already know that and by the way please refer to him as Kurama, it's his real name" replied the blond  
>"And how do you know that?" asked Jiraiya<p>

"Because we are friend and I talk to him almost all the time" he said

'Is the kyuubi influencing him, but he seems to be in a good shape' he thought and went towards the blond and removed his shirt and began examining the seal. He asked him to mould some chakra and the seal placed by the fourth, **the eight trigrams seal** came into view. 'So this is the formula used to imprison the nine tailed fox. A **double tetra-gram seal** within **8 sign seal**, that way if any of the demons chakra escapes the **tetra-gram seal**, it will be safely channelled into and supressed by the boy's own chakra, he did this for the boys protection' he though and then a five prong seal came to view 'Huh, what's this, a **five prong seal**, the formula is crude, if I have to guess, I'll say it was Orochimaru'

His fingers and thumb started to glow with chakra and later on there were 5 words written there, "**Five prong seal release**" he said and hit the seal and the seal was gone.

"Oh, I completely forgot about that, your former team mate gave this and the cursed seal to me, thanks for removing it" Naruto said completely shocking Jiraiya

"Orochimaru, what was he doing here? What happened? Did the hokage sealed it?" he asked

"Relax everything is fine" Naruto said and he began explaining him everything that happened during the exam.

Jiraiya spoke "Is the old man aware of this?"  
>"Yes, he knows everything about me, more than you could imagine" he said<br>"What do you mean?" asked Jiraiya

Naruto began telling him about the sharingan and the forbidden scroll, after the long conversation, Jiraiya spoke "So you already know sealing, you are expert in taijutsu, you know many jutsu, you have learned to manipulate your chakra in three types, you have the **mangekyo sharingan**, so that's left me to teach you the **Rasengan** and give you the **toad contract** and teach you other things like **sage mode**"

"Yes, by the way can you help me with a seal" asked the blond  
>"What sort of seal are you working on?" asked Jiraiya<p>

"I want to construct a seal that will help me to summon Kurama out of the seal" replied the blond

"The logic is quite simple, all you have to do is to sign a contract with him and then summon him, but if you do so, you will die" replied Jiraiya

"I will use a **chakra storage seal** that will hold his chakra, so when he will be out, the seal will leak his chakra and I won't die" replied Naruto

"But how are you so sure about that" asked Jiraiya

"My dad sealed half the chakra in me and the remaining half in him, so it means that I can also do so, but instead of dividing him in half, I will simply use the chakra storage seal" replied Naruto

"And what will happen if he is out and the chakra inside the seal is finished?" asked Jiraiya

"I will link it to a **summoning seal**, when the chakra level will be below 10%, that **summoning seal** will summon him back there and then the seal will recharge" replied Naruto

"That might actually work, but where will you summon him?" asked Jiraiya

**Flashback**

Naruto and Sasuke went into Nara shrine to gain more info about the **Mangekyo sharingan** because Naruto awakened it and now he will be able to read the scrolls. "So what does the scroll says?" asked Sasuke

"Well, it says…" Naruto said and started with the description of the mangekyo sharingan.

**Description of Mangekyo Sharingan**

The Mangekyo Sharingan is awakened by a Sharingan user when they suffer from trauma after witnessing the death of someone close to them. With the user normally having to witness or experience this first hand, Uchiha throughout history have killed those closest to them in order to expedite this process. It is distinguished from a normal Sharingan by its appearance, which changes the form of the tomoe seal. Unlike the Sharingan, the appearance of the Mangekyo Sharingan differs from user to user with all known wielders of the dojutsu having eyes that resemble variations of pinwheels.

The Mangekyo Sharingan can use enhanced versions of the Sharingan's generic abilities, such as casting genjutsu, and can also awaken different powerful techniques. Some wielders awaken the same technique in both of their eyes, whereas others awaken a different technique in each eye. Also, a Mangekyo Sharingan can transfer any of its techniques into another eye and/or set them to activate at certain times with pre-programmed actions, even after the user's death. One can even transfer the entire essence and powers of the dojutsu into another eye, manifesting itself in said eye.

The Mangekyo Sharingan drains a considerable amount of chakra and strains both the user's eyes and body, a drawback which affects a non-Uchiha even more so. Use of the dojutsu gradually deteriorates the user's eyesight to the point of blindness; a harsh fate for those that have grown accustomed to the power and visual acuity it affords. Only by transplanting the eyes of another Uchiha can the user regain their sight and ocular powers. By transplanting the Mangekyo Sharingan of an Uchiha with strong blood ties to the recipient — ideally a sibling — an **Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan **is then awakened.

This process takes several days for a complete recovery, and not only permanently restores the recipient's eyesight, but also bolsters their own ocular power with that of the donor's, signified by the intertwined appearance of their Mangekyo Sharingan's tomoe seals. Due to the compatibility issues and the Mangekyo Sharingan's rarity, not everyone can gain these benefits by transplanting the eyes of just any Uchiha, which has been the cause of many fruitless sacrifices throughout the Uchiha clan's history.

**End of the description**

"Each eye develops a single ability; the user can have two abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan, one in each eye. The first ability and the common one is **Amaterasu**. The user which awakes it in the left eye can cast this jutsu, while the user which awakes it in the right eye is able to control the flames." He said and started the description of **Amaterasu**

**Amaterasu**

The jet-black flames of the Amaterasu, said to be "the fires from hell" are as burning hot as the sun itself. By focusing their vision upon an object the user is able to ignite the flames, kindle at the focus of the user's vision. The black flames of Amaterasu are stated to burn through mostly anything in their path, even smothering regular fire techniques with ease. Amaterasu is said to never stop burning; even when whatever is caught by Amaterasu is completely reduced to ash or destroyed, it can still continue burning for seven days and seven nights. It cannot be extinguished with water or any other normal methods. However, the flames burn fairly slowly compared to ordinary flames. This allows anyone struck by Amaterasu an opportunity to remove whatever clothing or body parts have been caught ablaze before the flames spread further. The flames can also be extinguished by the user that summoned them, albeit it puts great strain on their eyes.

"The second ability and the rarest one is **Kamui**. It's a space time ninjutsu, in which the user can create his own pocket dimension and can change the environment of it as well, he can also store objects, and he can warp others as well as himself into his pocket dimension as well. The user of the right eye can cast the short range version of this jutsu while the user of the left eye can cast the long range version of this jutsu." He said and started the description of **Kamui**

**Kamui**

Kamui allows the user to transfer anything to another dimension. Once a target is sent to this dimension, it is unable to escape. This technique, when used through the right eye, is also able to make the user "intangible" by transporting portions of their body to the same pocket dimension.

Each eye is able to transport targets by creating a swirling distortion that opens a void into another dimension. This technique's effect acts as an attractive force, both visibly drawing the target inwards and distorting their form until they disappear. A user of the right eye requires physical contact to absorb a target, while a user of the left can do so from a distance. Kamui also allows the user to teleport to virtually any location they desire by absorbing their own body into the swirling distortion. When using Kamui to teleport, whatever the user is touching will be warped along with them and their chakra becomes untraceable.

After storing a target within Kamui's dimension, the user can then eject it from their eye at any time. This can be done with varying degrees of force, giving opponents little opportunity to react accordingly. While in Kamui's dimension, the user can transport targets out of said dimension at any time, even without establishing physical contact. Despite not always being present, the user could keep targets under genjutsu while they were confined inside this technique's pocket dimension, thus keeping them incapacitated for extended durations.

A user of Kamui can synchronise with other space–time techniques, allowing them access to other dimensions. After entering a new dimension through this method, the user is able to travel to and from said dimension, as well as any other connected dimensions, at will. The long-range version of Kamui is primarily based on line of sight and, as such, does not require physical contact to warp a target into the other dimension. By focusing to create a barrier space and concentrating on the target within, Kamui will distort space and the target will be drawn into the other dimension.

The short-range version of Kamui requires physical contact to warp a target. However, this eye has a unique variation of teleportation akin to intangibility. When activated, any part of the user's body that overlaps with a solid object is seamlessly warped to the other dimension, making it appear as though the user is phasing through them. This ability can dodge most attacks, and by overlapping their entire body into large objects, the user can completely conceal their presence while temporarily erasing all traces of their chakra. This ability can also be used to travel through the ground. The user also seemingly possesses the capability to extend this intangibility to whatever they are touching at the moment of activation, as long as they are able to maintain some form of contact with at least a part of the desired item or person.

When both eyes are used together on the same target, the teleportation process works twice as fast. Through both eyes, the user can create two distortions at the same time and connect them. The user can not only create two distortions, but also create a portal in their line of sight that can connect two dimensions. Doing this, however, requires a tremendous amount of chakra and places significant strain on the user's eyes, causing both to bleed. Using both eyes on one's self allows the user to augment their other techniques, such as aiding in the usage of attacks through "intangibility" or expanding the range and number of targets to teleport through projectiles.

"The third ability is **Tsukuyomi,** the user normally awakes it in the right eye and it is a very powerful genjutsu" He said and started the description of **Tsukuyomi**

**Tsukuyomi**

Tsukuyomi requires eye contact to be performed, trapping the target within an illusion completely under the user's control. Itachi's prowess with the technique has allowed him to alter the perception of time with ease within the genjutsu to make a few seconds seem like many days as a means to torture the target. This results in the victim suffering psychological trauma that incapacitates them for a considerable period of time.

Such a powerful technique is not without its disadvantages however. Due to the complexity of the illusion and the quickness with which it is executed, an enormous amount of chakra is necessary and an added amount of stress is placed on the left eye.

"If a Sharingan user unlocks two **Mangekyo Sharingan** powers, one in each eye it gives access to a third power, **Susanoo**. Nevertheless, for a Sharingan user to activate Susanoo is a rarity." He said and started witht the description of **Susanoo**

**Susanoo**

If a Sharingan user unlocks two **Mangekyo Sharingan** powers, one in each eye, known as the "Double Mangekyo", it gives access to the third power, Susanoo. Nevertheless, for a Sharingan user to activate Susanoo is a rarity. Since it is formed through the materialisation of the user's chakra, its abilities, appearance, and colour vary among individuals. The user is able to freely move around within Susanoo's body as well as levitate inside of it, and can also leave its body entirely while maintaining it. It is also possible for others to enter Susanoo when allowed by the user. While Susanoo acts as a defence against external attacks, anything coming out of its body will simply phase through it. Susanoo can also be easily reformed in the event it is obliterated by a powerful attack, provided it protected the user from being massively injured and they're still physically capable of reforming it.

As it develops, Susanoo goes through several different forms, usually gaining additional weaponry in the process. The user can switch between these forms at will or, in the case of the first two stages, leave it in a state between forms. When first activating the technique, the user can only manifest a portion of Susanoo's skeleton, such as a smaller version of its ribcage which, while providing a good defence, can still be fractured, as well as melted. The user can form other parts of the skeletal structure, such as an arm, to interact with their surroundings, or to wield one of Susanoo's weapons. When first forming, Susanoo manifests around the user as an aura.

Eventually, the user is able to form the entirety of Susanoo's skeletal structure. Additional musculature and skin can then form atop Susanoo's bones, progressively completing it until it develops into a fully manifested form in which the vulnerabilities of the skeletal form are largely eliminated. In its next form, this fully humanoid shape is further surrounded by a layer of armour. At this stage, it can prevent enemies from reaching the user unless they can get through Susanoo's various layers. Though users of this technique often only form Susanoo's upper half, legs can be manifested to give it a full body, granting it increased mobility. Some users, who have attained perfect mastery over this technique, are capable of stabilising Susanoo's chakra, causing it enter a colossal form known as the **Complete Body Susanoo**

As users gain more control over Susanoo, they are able to extend their power by forming weapons. Like Susanoo itself, the appearance and abilities of the manifested weapons vary between individuals. Additionally, as Susanoo becomes more powerful, its weapons do so as well. All known users of Susanoo are able to manifest at least one sword for the ethereal warrior to wield. Despite their variations, each sword is extremely effective, and in the case of some users, the swords evolve along with Susanoo.

Susanoo can also manifest multiple shuriken. They take the shape of the user's **Mangekyo** pattern and while handheld in proportions to Susanoo, their individual size is massive. It can also manifest bow as well as arrow, and swords and shields.

"So, in short it means that I can have two abilities out of five abilities, two versions of **Amaterasu**, two versions of **Kamui**, and a single version of **Tsukuyomi** and a third ability at max, Susanoo after gaining two abilities, one in each eye." He said

"So, which abilities do you have?" asked Sasuke

"I don't know, let's go, and check it out for ourselves" he said

**After a week**

"So it seems I have a short range Kamui in my right eye and Amaterasu in my left and there finally Susanoo, however according to the scroll, it is still not perfect, at least I got a pocket dimension to train for eight inner gates and everything else, without alarming others" Naruto stated

**End of flashback**

"I will summon him inside my **Kamui**, I control my pocket dimension, so I can change the environment to that of a forest, and he can stay there as long he wishes and when I need him, I will either summon him outside the seal or inside the seal. Also the **chakra storage seal** will not leak chakra until I want it to, for me to stay alive I only need to have a presence of another chakra inside me and the seal will act like a chakra body without leaking any chakra" replied Naruto

"That will work, but there is still a problem, how will you make a seal inside your mindscape? How will you sign a blood contract with him?" asked Jiraiya

"That's simple, I need the key to the **eight trigrams seal**, and then I will modify it to **nine trigrams seal**, where I will add the **chakra storage and summoning seal**. It will appear in my mindscape just like the **eight trigrams seal**. As for the blood contract, his chakra will provide a link between me and Kurama, once after I summon him out, I will sign a blood contract, and he will also be able to resummons him back inside the seal" replied the blond

"You have thought this thoroughly, all you needed me was for the key to the seal, well then what are we waiting for let's start working on the seal. But first watch this" he said as he gathered chakra into his arm and went towards the tree. "**Rasengan**" he yelled and the tree broke down in half. "This was your fathers own creation, the **Rasengan**. To do this you need rotation, power and stability, make 50 clones and send them in the market to gather some water balloons, some air balloons, and some rubber balls" Naruto did as he was told to do. And the clones went to the respective shop while in the mean time they worked on the new seal.

The steps for learning the Rasengan were simple, all he had to do was to spin chakra in various direction in order to burst the water balloon, after that the second was the same but instead of water balloon, it was a rubber ball, so in order to burst it he needed rotation as well as power. The third step was entirely different; all he needed was to maintain the power and the rotation inside an air balloon without bursting it.

**1 Week Later**

During the week, they not only completed the seal, but Naruto also learned the Rasengan. Naruto let his clones do all the work and he himself focused on his speed and his taijutsu, in the meantime Jiraiya and his clones as well as Naruto's clones worked on the seal. Naruto also signed a chakra contract in a scroll which will be used to summon him temporarily.

"It took your father 3 years to make this and then 1 year for me to learn and you did this in a week, it's impressive kid" Jiraiya spoke  
>"With my shadow clones, it was a piece of cake, now let's modify my seal, give me the key" Naruto said<br>"First you have to sign a contract with toads" said Jiraiya  
>"Okay I am ready, give me the contract" replied Naruto<p>

Jiraiya summoned a toad named Gama; he is a very large toad, enough for Jiraiya to ride on his back. His orange skin is covered in blue markings, he has bandages wrapped around his body and left foreleg, and wears a necklace with seven large beads on it, with the kanji for "loyalty" on the central, largest one. It is also shown that he has three swirl-like marking in the middle of his left palm which is similar to the one's sometimes portrayed in Jiraiya's. He gave him the contract and Naruto signed it with his blood. "Okay Naruto, to complete the contract, you have to make your first summon" Jiraiya explained him

Naruto did some hand sign's and yelled "**Summoning Jutsu**" he pushed as much chakra as he could and puff, there was a large cloud of smoke, the smoke cleared and there were three toads sitting, they were larger than buildings.

Gamabunta is coloured a dull, rusty red, but around his eyes and on his lips and chest are brighter red markings. Over his left eye, he received a scar at some point in the past. His tongue has a series of stud-like piercings on both the upper and lower side. He often wears a large blue happi vest that has the kanji ebi on the back, and always carries a massive blade at his hip. He also carries a large pipe which he often smokes.

Gamahiro is a huge toad, easily towering over buildings and trees. He has an aquamarine skin tone and yellow eyes with grey markings around them and two distinct, circular markings on his shoulders. He also carries two huge katanas on his back, which are his main weapons with an orange sash around his stomach.

Gamaken is a giant magenta-coloured toad with black markings on his face, arms, and legs with horn like protrusions on his head. He is as big as Gamabunta, and towers over most buildings, trees, and large rock formations. He wears a black kimono with a white sash and mesh armour underneath. He keeps a shield wrapped around his back and his sasumata in his hand.

"Who summed us here?" yelled Gamabunta  
>"Who is he?" asked Naruto pointing at Gamabunta<p>

"He is Gamabunta, the chief toad; besides him are Gamaken and Gamahiro. They are the fighting toads of mount myoboku, there is also lord Fukasaku and Lord Shima, they are the great elders and have most of the authorities in mount myoboku" he said and then explained him about them and about mount myoboku. He turned towards Gamabunta and spoke "This kid is the new summoner, he is the son of Minato Namikaze, his name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, and he is the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox"

"I still don't believe that this kid summoned me" Gamabunta shouted  
>"Read the contract, I am your new summoner, I summoned you" yelled Naruto<br>"I still don't believe you" Gamabunta said

At first they did not believed him but they finally did when he re-summoned them and then they left as the two had other things to do. Jiraiya summoned another toad Gerotora; he is a black and orange toad with dark markings around his eyes, mouth, and a circular mark just below his mouth. As a scroll toad, his abdomen can extend to reveal a scroll which when concealed, gives him the appearance of wearing an obi. He had had the key to **eight trigrams seal**. Naruto opened his mouth and the toad went inside him. With that the storage was complete. He modified the seal and undid the storage, when the toad came out he modified the key and did the storage again.

Naruto went into his Kamui along with Jiraiya. He waited an hour for the seal to get charged and then opened a scroll and channelled chakra to it and the nine tailed fox came to view. He became happy, his theory worked, Jiraiya was glad as well about the fact that Naruto was alive and also for the fact that his theory worked correctly. He signed a real blood contract with him and ordered him to go back to the seal.

He destroyed the chakra contract and went to the required hand seals and yelled "**Summoning Jutsu**" and there was the nine tailed fox once again. After some trials, they went to the hot springs to take a good bath and then went to ichiraku to celebrate. By the end of the second week, he also met Gamakichi and Gamatatsu and the great lord elders and a weird toad Gamariki.

Gamakichi is a young orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth, and stomach. He is rather comedic, and has the mannerisms of a smart aleck. Gamatatsu is predominantly yellow in colour with orange marking around his eyes and mouth. He also has two markings curving inwards on his stomach. He is always hungry and asking his summoner for snacks, and often gets confused by unusual predicaments, in which he counts on his "big brother Gamakichi" to help him with. He also openly refers to his father Gamabunta as "daddy", which the older toad either chooses to ignore or simply doesn't mind.

Gamariki is light green in colour with purple eyes and yellow patterns all over his body and wears a large red violet bow on his back and make-up which includes red lipstick, pink blush on his cheeks and eye-liner. All this gives him an effeminate appearance, making him the toad equivalent to a drag queen. Curiously, he more closely resembles a frog rather than a toad.

Fukasaku is a green toad with white hair styled in somewhat of a Mohawk, very thick eyebrows and a small goatee. He has been seen wearing two capes: a high-collared one and a simpler version.Shima has a green underside with purple marking around her mouth and the back of her body. The top of her head looks as though she is wearing a hair net with hair-rollers underneath, giving her an 'old woman' look. She has been seen wearing two types of capes: a high-collared one and a simpler one.

Fukasaku, often referred to as "Head" is an elder toad over eight hundred years old that resides on Mount Myoboku. Shima, admired as the Mother of the Toad Way, is an elder toad from Mount Myoboku. As the heirs of the Great Toad Sage, they are revered as the "Two Great Sage Toads"

Jiraiya also told him about Mount Myoboku, the residence of the toads, Shikkotsu Forest, the residence of the slug Katsuyu, that Tsunade can summon and Ryuchi Cave, the residence of snakes that Orochimaru can summon.

**1 Week Later – Third Weak**

Naruto had completed his training with Jiraiya for this month, for the last week he needed some rest and he had to do some research. While he was training with Jiraiya, his clones were inspecting an Uzumaki cottage on the outskirts of the forest. Now he decided to go there by himself as his clones had found something useful.

"So Naruto what will you be doing now?" asked the sannin

"I'll rest and before I do that I have to go the outskirts of the forest to inspect an Uzumaki cottage. I believe my clones have found something useful there" stated the blond

"What did they found?" asked the curious listener

"A way for me to use **reanimation jutsu** on my father" replied Naruto

"What? But that's impossible you father used the **reaper death seal** to seal Kurama and if you somehow found a way to do that, the **reanimation jutsu** still requires a human sacrifice" explained Jiraiya

"Not anymore, the **reanimation jutsu** just needs a vessel to hold the soul, in other words I have modified the **reanimation jutsu** so that it can be used on dead bodies or on **shadow clones**, however I am not sure what will happen if I use **shadow clones** since the memories are sent back, I don't know and neither will I try, but I can use the dead bodies to reanimate him" the blond explained

The sannin was surprised and shocked and in a little bit fear. He was surprised that a 13 year boy could do this much and he was shocked because he knew more than anyone and he was in fear because it was the same with Orochimaru and he didn't want Naruto to turn like that. But he didn't say a word about it and changed the topic.

"So what else do you want to do in the mean time?" asked the sannin  
>"I want you to explain me everything about this goddamn curse seal" he said<br>"About time you asked, that seal gives you the ability to use nature chakra" replied the sannin  
>"I already know that, tell me more" replied the blond<p>

**Description of sage mode and cursed seal**

According to Fukasaku, only those who already possess "extreme chakra levels" can utilise natural energy to invoke senjutsu. The user is required to balance his/her physical and spiritual energy with the natural energy he/she gathers from nature. If the user puts too little natural energy into using senjutsu, the technique will not work. **Sage Mode** is the empowered state humans enter when they learn to draw natural energy inside them and blending it with their chakra. By doing so, the human creates new senjutsu chakra that allows them to enter **Sage Mode**. **Sage Mode **enhances the combat efficiency of the user by allowing them to tap into the natural force of the world that opens new techniques to the user and allows them to power up existing ones with the new senjutsu chakra.

In order to enter **Sage Mode**, the gatherer must remain absolutely still in order to be one with nature and balance the natural energy with their own physical and spiritual energies. Those learning from the toads have access to special toad oil that allows the natural energy to enter their body, but this oil only exists in liquid form in Mount Myoboku's atmosphere. The oil evaporates if it is taken outside, thus rendering it useful only for learning purposes. If the user takes in too much natural energy, the user will start to turn into a toad and, eventually, turn to stone. The petrified remains of one-time apprentice Sages who failed to master senjutsu are spread throughout Mount Myoboku. Getting hit by a special staff during the transformation will reverse the toad transformation by knocking all the natural energy out of the gatherer. It is dangerous to learn how to gather natural energy without the staff because there is no other known way to reverse the toad transformation. Furthermore, if the transformation is completed, not even the staff can reverse it, and the user would become a toad statue forever.

The advantages of **sage mode** are that the user's physical strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, perception, and durability are dramatically enhanced. The user's ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu become substantially more powerful. The user can manipulate the natural energy that surrounds them in this mode, turning it into an extension of their body, which increases the reach of their attacks. The user gains the ability to sense chakra around them much like sensor types, except they also gain the ability to sense attacks without needing to see them. And the disadvantages are that if the user draws in too much natural energy, they run the risk of transforming into a toad, and then into stone. If the petrification is completed, it cannot be reversed. This has only been shown to happen with Toad Sages; therefore it is unknown what will happen to other types. In order to gather enough natural energy to initiate the transformation into **Sage Mode**, the user must remain perfectly still. Because of that, the user can be an easy target for an opponent. Because the user needs to move during combat, the senjutsu chakra cannot be replenished, which means the user can't stay within this state for extended periods of time. The second and third weaknesses mentioned above can be bypassed through the **Sage Art: Amphibian Technique**, where one Sage gathers chakra for another, shadow clones can be used for the same purpose. After **Sage Mode** has ended, the user appears to experience exhaustion.

Thus far, **Sage Mode** has been shown to be taught in two places: at Mount Myoboku by the toads, and Ryuchi Cave by the snakes. Learning **Sage Mode** at Mount Myoboku or Ryuchi Cave grants the user with a toad and snake-influenced **Sage Mode** respectively, which carries over the same advantages and disadvantages, only differing in application. The curse seal allow you to use **Sage Mode** without needing to learn it, it supresses the chakra enough so that your body won't convert in a stone statue but it will change your appearance. This seal also recharges itself during battle, in other words it let you use **Sage Mode** without most of the disadvantages

**End of description**

Naruto let the words sink in his mind and spoke "Now that was something else, I didn't come across it anywhere, wow" he exclaimed  
>"Anything else" asked Jiraiya<br>"Actually yes, I want to work on a seal, same as Orochimaru's but a little bit different" replied the blond  
>"What do you have in mind?" asked the sannin<p>

"I want to learn **Sage Mode** with practice and not some seal, but in order to use it in battle, I want to create a seal that can hold nature chakra and give it to the user at will and then start recharging again, or it continuously supplies nature chakra to the user. On the other hand I think that it will be useless for me" the boy stated

"And why is that?" asked Jiraiya

"I am thinking, what if Kurama also learns **sage mode**, if lord Fukasaku and lord Shima can learn **Sage Mode**, then why not Kurama and since he will stay still inside me, he can use **Sage Mode** and give me sage chakra continuously" he replied and continued "But it will be useful for you and Sasuke and anyone else who had mastered the Sage Mode"

"As usual, you have again thought this thoroughly, even though I just explained it. You are a bigger genius than you dad ever was" replied the sannin and continued "So when do we start?"

"Right now, I'll leave some clones say about 500 with you and in the meantime I will check out the cottage I was talking about, but first I have to take permission from old man" replied the blond. With that said he created 500 clones to study the **curse seal** and create **sage seal** and he went to the hokage tower for permission to search the cottage and to go out of the village too.

**The Next Day**

Naruto successfully reached the cottage and began inspecting it. He came across some marks and some scrolls and started reading the scrolls and he was amazed to find the information through his own eyes, there were about 26 masks. Naruto read the name of the place; it was the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple. The Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple is a shrine belonging to the Uzumaki, located somewhere along the outskirts of Konoha. At the entrance of the temple is a giant replica of the clan's symbol. Within the temple at the centre is a podium of sorts where hangs several masks hung beneath three connected symbols of the clan, under all of which are ornate, black flames.

There was a scroll about them and he began reading it, on it was written the secrets behind those masks, the words according to the scroll were "It allows the wearer to summon and control the different God's by allowing it to possess the user. In return to the power given by the masks or rather God's the user must sacrifice his/her life." The shrine has since fallen into ruin from the wear and tear of time, though the masks all stayed intact.

He read many other scrolls which include the history of the Uzumaki clan and its long distance relation with the Senju clan. He sealed everything he found there in a scroll excluding the **Shinigami mask**. He took a risk and created a **shadow clone**.

"Do not dispel, hold as long as you can" he said to the clone and in return the clone nodded, he gave him the mask which he wore and then in a flash he was possessed by the Shinigami. He wanted Minato's soul to be removed and the Shinigami cut his belly and a soul more like a blue ball came out of it, the clone was also cut at the same spot but he did not dispel, he tolerated all that and stayed still. Naruto pulled out a scroll and sealed the soul in it. After he did that he ordered the clone to dispel, the clone dispelled and all his memories were given back to Naruto, he suffered the same pain but he was at least alive and that was all and the fact that he can now summon his dad.

The rest of the time went along, Naruto went to hospital a few times to meet Lee, and he had already met Hinata the day before she was released. Now he was just waiting for the exam to begin, he wanted to kick the Hyuga's ass for what he did to Hinata and he also wanted to show everyone a glimpse of his strength and the fact that his heritage was soon to be revealed make him a little nervous but the rest was fine. His real aim was to become Chunin and then to fight Sasuke an all-out battle. He really wanted to see how far has Sasuke had gone with his training. In reality Naruto haven't done any training, all his time was spent on the seal and learning the Rasengan and everything else, but he still followed his daily exercises which was more than enough to beat the Hyuga.


	16. Chapter 15 : The Final Round

**Chapter 15: The Final Round**

"Should I start with the finals, Lord Hokage?" The man asked. The hokage nodded in approval. All the contestants were already present along with other important people. There was no need to keep the crowd waiting any longer. He was surprised, not because Kakashi and Sasuke were late as usual, but the fact that Naruto was also not there.

Genma stepped forward and jumped at the middle on the arena just in front of the contestants. He smiled at them before looking back at the crowd, which had become settled. "Welcome everyone," he said loudly for everyone to hear him, "My name is Genma, proctor of the finals. I would like to welcome you all to Konoha's chunin selection exam finals!" Genma yelled out to the crowd who welcomed his words with cheers, "We will now begin with the matches between the contestants that have worked hard and reached the finals of this tournament!" Genma said and made his way over to the proctor's seat.

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga**

He looked at the contestants, "Contestants of the first match, Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. The rest of the contestants please go back to the contestant's booth." the rest of the contestants left the arena.

'Where is Naruto?' thought almost everyone including the hokage

There was a large puff of smoke in the stadium, when the smoke cleared, there was Naruto simply sitting on the top of Gama, he was sitting calmly and spoke in a calm voice "Am I late for the fight"

**With spectators**

"He sure knows how to make an entrance" said a jonin  
>"Where the hell did he got a toad summon" muttered a chunin<br>"Knucklehead and unpredictable as usual" said Sakura

**Stadium Floor**

Genma looked between Naruto and Neji. Naruto still had his impassive expression Neji had the same expression as Naruto. "The rules are the same as the ones that applied during the preliminaries," Genma said, "First match of the chunin exam finals, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga" Genma yelled, "Begin!" He yelled motioning with his hands for the genins to begin the first match.

"You got anything to say to me" Neji asked

Naruto raised his fist towards him, just like when he took the vow in the preliminaries and spoke "Only what I told you the last time" and the wind around him started to breeze with more speed. After staring each other a little while, Neji took his stance.

"**Byakugan**" yelled Neji activating his dojutsu. Naruto disappeared and appeared in front of Neji. Neji smirked as he stared at Naruto. He would make the blond rue his choice of not attacking him while he could. "You are within my range." Neji stated.

"**Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms**," Neji said his fingers going at Naruto's body, "Two palms," Neji said as his hands hit Naruto, "Four palms," Four hits at Naruto's shoulders blocking his chakra points. He hit Naruto with his strikes until he reached 64 strikes. Naruto had taken each strike without trying to block. Remarkably he was still standing, only his shoulders where slumped and his eyes were staring down at the ground. "I have hit you with sixty-four strikes. Your body should not be able to move, I suggest you stay down and accept what fate has decided," Neji said, "You where fated to lose this match and thus you have lost." Naruto's eyes left the ground and travelled towards Neji. "Do you think anyone could be hokage, that all it takes is a little hard work? Open your eyes, of all the shinobi of the world think how you will ever become hokage, they were all destined to be hokage, it's not something you become merely by trying to become it, they were chosen by destiny" Neji stated

"So then, it is good that I am destined to be hokage" the blond stated

Neji spoke again seeing Naruto look at him, "Give up, you have no power to defeat me." Neji said believing that his opponent was weaker than him.

"Why did you attack Hinata so viciously? From what she told me she's never tried to hurt you in anyway. She only tries to help you, but what does she get in return? A cousin that almost killed her" Naruto shouted.

Neji scoffed as he stood up. "You would never understand," He started, looking up at the sky he saw a small bird fly into the distance and narrowed his eyes. "The Hyuga clan is divided into two family houses. The main house and the branch house, the main house runs the family while we of the branch house are given the task of protecting it." Neji said his eyes now focused on Naruto's own. "Upon the heir's third birthday, members of the side branch are branded by a seal." Neji's hand reached up to untie his headband.

"The seal's primary purpose is to seal the Byakugan away upon the person's death. What many don't know is that it has a second purpose." Neji untied to his headband and removed the cloth that was covering his forehead showing everybody in the crowd a bright green 'X' placed on his forehead. "When a Hyuga from the Main House activates the seal with a special hand sign, it destroys the wearer's brain cells. The Hyuga wearing the seal usually ends up in the hospital usually in a coma!" Neji shouted his face showing absolute anger, anger at the people that wronged him and his family.

Naruto frowned at Neji's declaration, to think that you're own family would treat you like a slave, but that didn't mean that Neji had to right to kill Hinata, even if she was the clans heir. "Well, what gives you the right to try and kill Hinata that just tells me that you're no better than that asshole in the main house" Naruto shouted kicking the floor in frustration.

Neji scoffed and continued his story. "On the night of Hinata's third birthday, she was kidnapped. Her father managed to catch the kidnapper and killed him, but we found out that the kidnapper was the ambassador from Kumo that was sent here to sign a peace treaty between Konoha and Kumo. Kumo demanded that the man who killed the ambassador had to pay with his life." Naruto nodded and waited for Neji to continue. "That night, a meeting took place in the Hyuga clan's council room. The council members knew that my uncle could not be given over to Kumo or they would succeed in their attempts to have the Byakugan for themselves. No, they decided to send another man over. That man was Hiashi's younger brother, that man was my father!" Neji shouted no longer able to hold his anger in.

Naruto's eyes widened. He looked down at the ground and tried to understand what Neji must have been going through at the time. "So that's why I despise the Hyuga's main branch, that's why I almost killed Hinata!" Neji shouted as he tied his headband back on. "That's why it's your fate to lose here today, nobody can defy destiny! Especially not some loser who wishes to be Hokage" Neji shouted his voice holding nothing but contempt. He settled back into the Hyuga's gentle fist stance and looked at Naruto.

"You know what? I admit that you've had a crappy childhood and I'm sorry for your loss, but if you think I'm letting fate control me you're wrong. A looser huh, who are you to judge what a person can or can't be?" stated the blond

"You don't know what it feels like, branded by a mark that sets you apart, a mark that can never be wiped away" the Hyuga stated

"Oh yeah, I know what's that's like, well big deal, who cares. Man, you think you have got troubles, I've got news for you Neji; you are not the only one special around here. Did you ever think that Hinata might be suffering as much as you are, It's not her fault that her father was born ahead of yours, but you resent her for it, you disrespect her even when she worked so hard to improve herself, all she wanted was your respect, that's what she was fighting for, even though it almost killed her. And what was that about anyway, I thought your destiny was to serve the main house not to beat her like a bloody pulp, after all how you said that you can't fight your destiny, you don't believe it either, do you" Naruto said

"I have blocked all 64 of your chakra points, how are you planning to keep fighting me when you can't use your chakra against me. Its pity that you sympathize with Hinata because you are about share the same fate" stated the Hyuga

"It was not fate that you hit me," Naruto corrected, "You only hit me, because I wanted you to as I wanted to see what would happen if your technique hit me."

"..." The whole stadium was silenced by Naruto's proclamation. Some hung their mouths open while others blinked several times and a few just raised their brows. It was just unbelievable to them no one would dare take on those hits just to see what would happen. That would be unless he was shot of a few brain cells.

"You are lying. Even if you let yourself be hit the damage is done. I can see your chakra points are blocked with my eyes." Neji said not believing that Naruto had let himself be hit. Naruto released a wave of chakra forcing his chakra points to open. The chakra he released picked up debris around him for a moment before the dust cleared. Naruto stood still his chakra points now opened with his eyes fixed on Neji.

**With Spectators – Kiba and Hinata**

"Strong… Yeah I guess. He's fighting for you right now Hinata. If this is how he fights for his friends, imagine how he will fight for you if you were his girlfriend!" Kiba said laughing at Hinata's blushing face.

'Me… Naruto's girlfriend…' She smiled as she remembered when Naruto visited her in the hospital one day before he left for training.

**Flashback - One month before Chunin Exam Finals**

Hinata groaned as she woke-up from her nap. She looked around the room and sighed when she saw pale white walls around her. 'I'm in the hospital.' She realized as she continued to check her surroundings. She looked to her left and saw a fresh set of clothes waiting for her. On top of the clothes there were get well cards from her teammates and friends.

She stood up and changed; satisfied at wearing her old clothes again she looked over her get well cards. She smiled as read them, there were comments ranging from "Get well soon" to "I can't wait to train with you again!" She laughed at the last one, it was probably Kiba. She sighed as she stretched and remembered why she was in the hospital in the first place. During the Chunin Exam Preliminary matches she fought against her cousin, Neji. Neji ended up beating her to the ground but grew frustrated when she kept on getting back up to fight.

She winced when she remembered Neji slam his palm into her chest with a Jyuken strike, if it wasn't for the medics came out to help her she would have never made it to the hospital in time. The doctors said she was going to be fine, she just needed to rest for two months before she was sent back to active duty.

She heard a knock on the door and quickly welcomed them in. When she turned around she never expected to see Naruto with a flower in his hands and giant smile on his face. "N-Naruto what are you doing here?" She asked as she accepted Naruto's flower and watched him sit down on a chair in the corner of the room.

Naruto smiled before explaining why he was there. "I felt bad that you were in the hospital, so when Kiba told me that you were accepting visitors I decided to visit to see how you were doing." Naruto said smiling. Hinata nodded and sat down on her bed to relax. "So how're you feeling?" Naruto asked trying to start a conversation.

"I'm fine I won't be able to train for a couple of months but it's better than dying." Hinata said looking down at the ground.

Naruto winced when she mentioned dying and instantly felt guilty. "Look Hinata I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept on yelling, If I knew this is what would happen to you I would have shut up right away." Naruto frowned as he remember how he kept on telling Hinata that she should stand back up and never give up.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Naruto. I'm happy that you kept on cheering for me, to me it felt like I actually mattered to somebody, so I kept on standing because I didn't want to disappoint you, I didn't want you think I was a failure. Also, please don't blame Neji for what he did, He's been through a lot, I've tried to be nice to him because I thought it would help him, but I guess I was wrong" Hinata finished as she looked up at Naruto defending her cousin for what he had done to her.

She watched him stand up and walk towards her, she was going to ask him what he was doing but never got the chance to, because just as she was about to ask him he started hugging her. "Don't worry Hinata you'll never be a failure in my eyes. Just remember that I'll always support you no matter what. As for Neji I'm going to kick his ass, maybe then he'll apologize to you and quit being such a bastard." Hinata smiled and nodded accepting the inevitable fight between Naruto and Neji, she tried talking more, but she fainted when she felt Naruto's body heat against her.

Naruto pulled Hinata away from him and sighed. "I guess you're still not feeling to good." He said as he gently set her back down and left the room to let her rest. He left too early to see a small smile adorn the Hyuga Heiress' face

**End of flashback**

Hinata smiled as she remembered the hospital visit. She looked down at her hand and sniffed the flower that she held; she would always treasure the flower because it would always remind her of that day.

**Stadium Floor**

"I hear you like close combat, then you got it" he said as he removed his headband and covered his eyes  
>"What is this about?" stated the Hyuga<p>

"You are so proud of your all seeing eyes, I'll show you how wrong you are, I don't need my eyes to fight you, I'll defeat you without them" stated Naruto

"Very well, I'll accept your wish to die" Neji stated

They both began in a taijutsu fight, it was a close combat fight, and Naruto was blocking every move the Hyuga threw at him like it was nothing. When Naruto was about to give his final blow, Neji yelled "**Rotation**" and he began rotating inside a chakra dome and Naruto hit it and flew away due to the immense chakra rotation.

'Well that was unexpected' he thought and decided to finish the match

**With spectators**

"He might be strong, but he can't beat him without his eyes" stated one jonin  
>"He is going to lose" stated another<p>

"What is he doing, he can't win against Neji" stated Ino  
>"If you think so, then you are wrong" said Sakura<br>"What do you mean by that" asked Ino  
>"Wait and see" Sakura said<p>

"Wait, how is that possible, he can fight without his eyes" stated a jonin who was sitting next to Sakura and Ino and Tenten

"Because he is specialized in **wind manipulation** and with he created his own taijutsu style which he named **Blind Wind Style**. He can manipulate wind around him and his opponent and he can sense the opponent because of his **sensory skills** and because the vibration of air molecules. He can sense the chakra of his opponent knowing the exact spot where he is standing, and his **wind manipulation** gives him the ability to detect anything due to the vibrations in the air, giving him a full **360 degree view without a blind spot**. The **byakugan** can give **360 degree view only in one plane and that is vertical plane**, in other words the **byakugan can't sense anything below the ground or above in the sky** while Naruto can sense all that" stated Sakura

"He has jonin level skills" the jonin spoke in disbelief  
>"Sasuke has jonin level skills too" Sakura said<br>"Who would have think the dead last would be this powerful" Stated Ino  
>"He is not the dead last, in fact he never was" Sakura said<br>"What do you mean?" asked every single shinobi who was sitting there

"Well to put it simply, he wanted to be on the same team with Sasuke, because they are like brothers and he wanted to hide his true strength from everyone, so he became the dead last and made Sasuke the rookie and too much to my surprise they ended up together" She explained

"So how strong is he?" asked a chunin  
>"He is as strong as Sasuke or probably stronger than him; to put it simply he is far stronger than a chunin" Sakura explained<br>"That's Neji's strongest defence, **rotation**, no one can defeat it, not even Naruto" complained Tenten  
>"He is not the unpredictable knucklehead for nothing" Sakura said<p>

**Stadium Floor**

'Alright, I need to finish this in one move!' His mind drifted back to month spent training with Jiraya and tried to remember anything that would help him in this sort of situation. He grinned when his mind finally gave him an idea and slowly started collecting chakra and focused it on his right arm's palm. Neji saw Naruto reopen his chakra points and was shocked when he saw the blond slowly gather chakra in his palm, he grit his teeth and started collecting chakra of his own.

'Alright I need to focus. Focus… Focus… Focus' he told himself as the chakra slowly condenses itself into a ball. 'Now add the power!' He said as the ball started shining a bit at the amount of chakra that it held, the wind picked up as well showing his fast the small ball was really rotating.

"Good, now I just have to hit him with this." Naruto said as he completed his technique and forced his body to run at the Hyuga a few meters away from him. Neji waited for Naruto to get close enough; when Naruto thrust his arms forward Neji started spinning as fast as he could.

"I'm not gonna give up! I told you that I was going to make you pay for what you did to Hinata and I never go back on my word because that's my nindo, my ninja way! Now be a good boy and eat this!" Naruto roared as he thrust his hand forward and slammed the ball into Neji's shield. Not willing to back down from a challenge Neji started pumping more chakra into his defence and spun faster.

"**Rasengan**" yelled Naruto  
>"<strong>Rotation<strong>" yelled Neji

The arena shook as the two genin clashed, neither willing to back down as their jutsu's fought for dominance. Finally the techniques exploded in an amazing display of power and covered the arena with dust. The crowd was stunned into silence as it waited for the dust to clear. The kids cough as they tried to get the dust out of their lungs, everybody waited in suspense until finally the dust cleared up and revealed Naruto standing with his arms crossed and his cloak flapping in the wind. The crowd exploded in cheers as they saw him standing over the bruised and battered form of one Neji Hyuga.

"You know, it's funny." Naruto said as he sat down on the ground letting his body rest. Neji stared at Naruto and wondered how the blond was still able to speak. "I failed the academy exam, I never managed to successfully create one lousy Clone" Naruto smiled and looked up at the sky smiling at how tranquil it looked. "Now look at me. Creating thousands of clones and beating Hyuga prodigies, my parent's would be so proud." Naruto chuckled as he thought about his parents; he tried to picture his mom cheering while his father held her back.

"So don't come whining to me about this "destiny" crap and stop trying to tell me that you can't change who you are. You can do it too, because unlike me, you're not a failure." Naruto said as he stood back up and turned to leave.

"Naruto" Neji shouted causing Naruto to stop and turn around to look at him.  
>"Yeah" asked Naruto<br>"Thank you." Said Neji, Naruto smiled and simply turned around again.

"Don't thank me, thank Hinata. I'll be sure to ask her if you've apologized to her yet, and Neji," Neji turned his head to look at Naruto. "You better start training, because next time we fight. It's going to be a lot more intense than this!" Naruto waved his hand as he reached the stairs and headed to the competitor's room.

Neji smiled as he nodded and looked up at the sky, he smiled as he saw three birds fly away past the clouds and into the forest. "Father, I wish you could see these birds flying. They're finding their freedom too." Neji whispered as he closed his eyes to sleep.

Genma smirked as he heard Naruto's speech, 'The kid managed to come out on top, even with everyone doubting him, the kid always believed in his strength and never doubted himself'

"Winner of the First Match, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, son of the fourth hokage" said the hokage

Now this was a bummer for everyone, first he beat the Hyuga prodigy, second he beat him in close combat taijutsu, third he beat him without hi eyes, fourth he beat the **Rotation,** and now he is declared the son of the fourth hokage. Many did not believe it while many just smirked at the boy's talent.

**Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro**

"Will Kankuro and Shino Aburame step forward please" Genma called out.  
>Kankuro stepped forward but stopped before reaching the middle of the arena, "Proctor, I forfeit."<p>

His words where welcomed with boos all over the stadium. Kankuro seemed not to care about the jeers. The crowd had been waiting for Sasuke to fight. Some had come to the finals just to watch the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. With Kankuro giving up they were being denied an opportunity to see Sasuke fight and observe what he was capable of. Many saw Sasuke as a genius as he was the best student at everything he did when he was still at the academy. Genma looked at Kankuro without interest. He thought that if he did not w he should have never come to the stadium.

"Winner of the Second Match, Shino Aburame" yelled Genma

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari**

"It's my turn now isn't it?" Temari said while looking at Shikamaru.  
>Genma shook his head and spoke "Shikamaru come on down."<p>

'This is complete crap,' Shikamaru thought as he leaned on the railing, 'Why do I have to fight? Maybe I should just forfeit like that Kankuro guy?'

Naruto saw the lazy look on Shikamaru's face and grinned. He went behind the lazy genius and pushed him off the railing, "Get out there Shikamaru!"

Genma looked between both fighters, "Are both fighters ready?" He asked earning nods from both fighters, "Begin!" He said and jumped back to his seat.

Shikamaru landed on his back and groaned, 'Why does Naruto have to be so damn troublesome? I'd rather stare at the clouds than fight some girl.'

Temari glared at Shikamaru. The lazy idiot was just lying there and didn't appear to be interested in fighting her. The crowed started to boo Shikamaru while he just ignored everyone. Genma just sighed and shook his head; he couldn't believe Shikamaru's laziness. "That's it!" Temari exclaimed with a frown, "If you're not attacking then I am!" With that, Temari held up her fan and ran at Shikamaru.

'Man,' Shikamaru thought, 'I knew blonds were troublesome the minute I met Naruto and Ino. I don't feel like doing anything but I also don't feel like losing to a girl.' Temari brought her fan down on Shikamaru but gasped when she saw that he wasn't there anymore. She looked around and found him leaning against a tree with his hands on his pockets.

"If you're so hyped about fighting me then let's get to it." Shikamaru said. He took out some kunai and threw them at the girl.

Temari used her fan to blow the kunai away but frowned when she saw that Shikamaru had disappeared again. "Where the hell is he?" She muttered to herself.

**With spectators – Asuma and Kurenai**

Asuma watched his student with a smirk. Kurenai was sitting next to him and she had a look of worry on her face. While Asuma trusted in his student's abilities, Kurenai didn't know what to think of the lazy genius. She had heard that Shikamaru was lazy but she never expected him to act like that in the middle of a match.

"Don't worry Kurenai," Asuma said, "Shikamaru might not look it, but he's a genius."  
>Kurenai gave a confused look. "But I saw his test scores and they were almost as bad as Naruto's."<p>

Asuma shook his head. "Don't let those two fool you," he stared at his student with a smirk; "Shikamaru and Naruto are a lot smarter than they let on. Shikamaru didn't do well on his tests because he thought it was too troublesome to pick up his pencil to write; while Naruto cared more about being the centre of attention than some test."

Kurenai looked at Shikamaru in a new light. "I see."

"Shikamaru treats his matches like a shogi game," Asuma explained, "He uses many different strategies to put his opponent in a possession where giving up are the only way out. I've never been able to beat him in a game of shogi and I know that he will win this using only his mind. The two only one who ever beat are his dad and Naruto"

**Stadium Floor**

Shikamaru was resting against a tree that was near the wall of the fight area. The place was shadowed so he would be able to have some peace. He thought of ways of defeating the blonde but groaned when he heard her swinging her fan around. That girl was way too troublesome. "I might as well get this over with," Shikamaru said to himself.

"Damn him," Temari muttered as she swung her fan. She had been using wind jutsu around the fight area in order to get Shikamaru out of his hiding place. The kunoichi was about to swing her fan again but stopped when she saw a shadow approaching her. She jumped away and found Shikamaru standing on the shadows. "So you finally decided to come out?" Temari said while noticing that the shadow could not reach her past ten meters.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's a real pain in the ass but I'll fight seriously." The teen threw two kunai at the girl who easily blew them away.

Temari watched Shikamaru in confusion. Surely his plan wasn't throwing kunai around; even someone like him should have a kind of plan. She swung her fan, creating a huge gust of wind that knocked Shikamaru back a couple of feet. Temari prepared to attack again but jumped away when she saw a shadow coming towards her. The shadow passed its ten meter limit and chased after her. She looked up and saw that Shikamaru had used a kunai as a parachute in order to create more shadows for him to use. She leapt away until the shadow finally stopped. Temari sighed in relief and prepared to use her fan but noticed that she couldn't move.

"What's going on?" She asked herself in panic.  
>Shikamaru chuckled. "Just look at where you are."<p>

Temari looked around and noticed that she was in between two trees. Her eyes widened when she remembered that Shikamaru had been at the same place when he started the match. She looked at her arms and saw that they were wrapped in a strong wire, "H-how did you?"

"I wasn't just looking at clouds when I was lying there," Shikamaru explained, "I was thinking of a way to beat you without too much trouble. When you ran at me and I leapt away, I threw a couple of kunai with ninja wire at those two trees."

"But there's more than two wires," Temari argued.

"Yes but as the match progressed I put more wire," Shikamaru said as he pointed at the wire that were wrapped around her legs, "All those kunai that I threw and my **shadow possession jutsu** were just decoys while I set up the real trap."

"Why… You" Temari said through gritted teeth as Shikamaru walked towards her with a kunai on hand.

"Now," the teen said with a smirk as he put the kunai on Temari's throat, "Check mate."  
>Genma grinned in approval. "Winner is Shikamaru Nara."<p>

The crowd cheered while Shikamaru calmly made his way back to the small balcony where the participants waited their turn. He had thought of giving up but decided against it when he remembered all the training his team and Naruto went through. Naruto had made him take his training a little more seriously but it was still too troublesome and not to mention that since Ino started to train harder she had forced him to put more effort into it. Those annoying blonds would be the death of him.

"Way to go Shikamaru!" Ino cheered with a smile.

Choji couldn't believe his eyes. His teammate had actually done a considerable amount of work and didn't give up. Choji honestly thought that Shikamaru would end up giving up or just pretending to be unconscious but he had won.

"That was a great match," Sakura said with a smile.  
>Choji nodded, "I didn't think that Shikamaru would actually win. I thought that he would've ended up giving up or something."<br>Ino smiled, "Yeah but I think he's starting to be more serious about being a ninja."  
>"Anyway," Sakura interrupted, "Sasuke's match is up next!"<br>"Everyone is waiting for that match," Choji said, "I hope it's as good as everyone is making it out to be."  
>"That was great Shikamaru," Naruto said with a grin once Shikamaru went back to the balcony.<p>

Shikamaru sighed and leaned on the railing. "I should've forfeited the match; it would've been less troublesome that way."  
>Naruto chuckled. "But if you forfeited then you would've been chewed out by Ino."<br>"You're right," Shikamaru said with a nod, "Nothing is more troublesome than dealing with an angry female."

**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the sand**

"Attention," Genma announced, "We will give Sasuke Uchiha a total of five minutes to arrive. If he doesn't then he will be disqualified."

**With spectators**

"Do you think he'll show up?" Shikamaru asked  
>"Perhaps it was wise of him to not have shown up," Shino said in an emotionless voice.<br>Naruto shook his head. "He'll be here," He said, "He's not the kind of person to run away from a challenge."

"What is Sasuke doing? Why is he taking so long?" Choji asked with a frown.  
>"He'll get here," Sakura said with a sad expression, "He has to."<br>"Where is Sasuke?" Asked Lee who had just arrived, along with Gai  
>"Lee" Sakura and Ino greeted with smiles<br>"Sasuke hasn't arrived yet," Choji said.

"I see," Lee said with a serious look, "I was hoping to see how much he has improved."  
>"Don't worry Lee," Sakura said with a smile, "Sasuke will come."<p>

**Stadium Floor**

"The five minutes have passed," Genma announced, "Sasuke Uchiha is -" Genma was interrupted by a whirlwind next to him. When the whirlwind died down Kakashi and Sasuke could be seen. Sasuke wore a black version of his normal clothes while Kakashi had a hand on his book and the other on his pocket.

"Hey there," Kakashi said, "I hope we're not too late."  
>"You're just in time," Genma said<br>"Hey Sasuke" Naruto yelled from the balcony.  
>The blond grinned, "Nice to see you made it."<p>

Sasuke smirked. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world," he said back, "Did you win your match?"  
>"Of course" Naruto said with a smile, "You better win yours so I can kick your ass later."<br>"How was my entrance?" asked Sasuke  
>"Not as good as mine, but it was fine" Said Naruto<p>

"Only because you had that **toad summon**, I don't have a summon and if I have asked Kakashi about it, his ninja dogs wouldn't be that good for an entrance, so I decided that this was better than anything else" replied Sasuke

"So you were here" asked Naruto

"No but my **shadow clone** was here" replied Sasuke. "Now let me concentrate on my match" Sasuke said. Sasuke smirked and turned to Gaara. The sand ninja looked at Sasuke with no emotion on his eyes before jumping down to the fight area.

**With Spectators – Naruto and Shikamaru**

"This will be a hard fight," Naruto said to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru frowned. "You want to tell me what's going on." Naruto looked surprised and Shikamaru continued, "You're always wary of that guy ever since the hospital incident. I know I'll regret this later but tell me what's up with that guy."

**Flashback**

They saw Gaara in front of Lee's bed. His sand was leaking from under him and making its way to Lee. Shikamaru stopped Gaara with his Shadow Possession Jutsu while a Naruto clone moved Lee away from the sand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto exclaimed with a frown.  
>Gaara glared at the two. "I must prove my existence." He said in a cold voice, "He hurt me and he must die."<br>Shikamaru was panting lightly and sweat trickled down his face. "He's too strong. I won't be able to hold him for long."

Gaara got a psychotic look on his face. "I can't be beaten. I have a demon sealed within me." Shikamaru gasped, "I was destined to kill ever since I was born. I prove my existence by killing anyone on my path."

Before Naruto could answer a new person entered the room. "That's enough everyone, this is a hospital." Gai said with a frown. He took Lee from the clone and laid him on the bed. "Lee needs rest so you shouldn't fight here."

"I will kill him later," Gaara said as he walked out the door.

Naruto and Shikamaru left the room soon after. They didn't want to leave Lee along but knew that Gai knew what was best for his student. Unlike Naruto, Gaara didn't have anyone to acknowledge him. Naruto remembered how it felt to be completely alone and was scared to think about it. He couldn't believe how much pain he had taken and knew that if it weren't for the third and Iruka then he would've been the same as Gaara.

**End of flashback**

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Gaara wasn't lying." Naruto said. Shikamaru gave him an odd look and Naruto turned his gaze towards Gaara, "He really does have a demon sealed inside of him."

"W-What" Shikamaru asked in shock, "How do you even know he wasn't just bluffing?" Naruto turned his gaze to the ground and frowned. He couldn't just tell people that he knew Gaara had a demon inside of him because he had one also. The blond contemplated the idea of telling Shikamaru the truth. But, could he do it? Would Naruto be able to share his deepest secret and risk losing a friend?

"How do you he has a demon inside of him Naruto?" Shikamaru asked once again.  
>Naruto clenched his left fist before relaxing it.<br>"Just a feeling I have!" He exclaimed with a smile plastered on his face.  
>Shikamaru was about to call him a liar but saw the look on Naruto's eye, a look of pain and desperation.<br>"Fine," he said with a sigh, "What do you plan on doing about Gaara?"

"I'm not sure," Naruto admitted, "We should see how Sasuke does against him and if things look bad I'll enter the fight."  
>"You'll be disqualified if you interrupt a fight," Shikamaru said with a frown.<br>Naruto smiled. "I know," he glanced at Sasuke and Gaara with a smirk, "But I really want to fight Sasuke so I can't let him get killed."

"Man," Shikamaru said with a sigh, "I guess I'll help if the situation comes."  
>"You should also watch your backs," Shino said from behind Naruto<br>"What the hell Shino! Don't just appear behind people's backs!" He exclaimed with an angry look  
>"What did you mean Shino?" Shikamaru asked with a frown<p>

"I overheard the sand shinobi talking about a plan," Shino said, "I'm not sure what that plan is but my bugs have detected small spikes of chakra throughout the village's outskirts that disappear before being traced. This means that whatever their planning is big."

"Just what I needed," Shikamaru said with a groan, "I should've never gotten out of bed."  
>"Do you think we should tell the Hokage?" Shikamaru asked in a serious tone.<br>Shino shook his head. "I'm not really sure," he explained, "I noticed that there are several Anbu around the crowd so he probably already knows."

"He knows, because I told him that before the exams begin" Naruto stated  
>"What about Gaara?" Shikamaru asked<br>"Let Sasuke fight him for a while," Naruto said before grinning, "He's more than capable of holding him back."


	17. Chapter 16 : The Invasion

**Chapter 16: The Invasion**

**Stadium Floor**

Sasuke stared at Gaara with a frown. Kakashi had helped him increase his speed and master Lee's taijutsu style. The jonin had even taught him a move that would be of great help against the sand ninja. Not to mention the aid his sharingan would give him on the fight. The Uchiha knew that he would win and smirked.

"Are you two ready?" Genma asked receiving nods from the two genin, "Okay then, and begin" Sharingan coming to life, Sasuke ran at Gaara in an inhuman speed. Gaara simply stood where he was and calmly unleashed his sand. Sasuke faked a punch, making Gaara use his sand to cover, and smirked. The Uchiha disappeared from sight, in an amazing show of speed, and appeared behind Gaara.

The sand ninja used his sand to strike Sasuke but the sharingan saw the move coming. Sasuke leaned to the right, dodging the sand, and threw a punch that made contact with Gaara's jaw. The redhead sailed through the air before falling on the ground with a painful thud. Gaara stood up and glared at Sasuke.

"What's wrong? Is that all you got?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, "You're no match for me."  
>"I'll kill you," Gaara hissed<br>"Let's see if it's not the other way around," Sasuke said as he ran at Gaara.

Gaara tried to hit Sasuke with sand but found that the Uchiha was too fast, much like Lee. Sasuke watched the sand chasing him and smirked. He ran around Gaara before running directly at him. Gaara's eyes widened as Sasuke's foot made contact with his jaw. The sand ninja sailed through the air before meeting ground once again.

"I have to finish this now," Sasuke said through pants. In order to move so fast, Sasuke needed to constantly enhance his leg muscles with chakra. This meant that he was limited to only using taijutsu while on that speed.

Gaara's sand enveloped the redhead and created a dome around him. Sasuke threw Kunai's at it but watched as they bounced off of it. Like he guessed, the density of the sand made it as strong as steel. The only way he could end the match would be to use the new jutsu Kakashi had taught him.

Sasuke ran to the top of the arena's wall and gathered his chakra into his left hand. He gave a quick glance at Gaara and saw what appeared to be an eyeball forming on top of the sand dome. Sasuke didn't know what his opponent was doing but whatever Gaara was planning had to be stopped. Sasuke got the feeling that it would be a strong jutsu so it was better to stop it before it was performed. Sasuke was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of chirping birds and smirked, the match would be over soon.

**With Spectators – Gai and Kakashi**

"Don't tell me you taught him that jutsu!" Gai exclaimed in shock as he turned his gaze to the masked jonin standing next to him. Kakashi had met with them after dropping Sasuke off in the fight area.

"That's the reason why I wanted him as my student," Kakashi said, "He's much like me apart from the sharingan."  
>"But to teach him that move!" Gai said with a frown<br>"He knows the restrictions of that move, he can handle it," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

**Stadium Floor**

'It's ready,' Sasuke thought with a smirk.

Sasuke ran at Gaara with a yell. His attack would be able to get through the sand, there was no doubt. Sand shot out of the dome but the sharingan saw each move. Sasuke leaned to the left to dodge an oncoming shot of sand before spinning to the right to avoid a large wave of sand. The sand went back to Gaara but it would be a few seconds before it could strike again, more than enough time for Sasuke.

"**Chidori**" Sasuke yelled as the attack pierced through the dome.

'What is this?' Gaara thought from inside of the dome with a hand inside of his left shoulder. 'What is this feeling mother? It feels wet and hot, what is it?' A single droplet was heard and Gaara's eyes widened. "It's blood," he whispered, "Blood! MY BLOOD"

Gaara's scream was heard throughout the arena, scaring most of the crowd and even a few ninja. The dome of sand fell apart and Gaara clutched his head in pain. The Uchiha knew that something was off by the look on Gaara's eyes but knew that he would still win the match.

**With Spectators – Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino**

'I knew you could do it Sasuke, just hang on,' Naruto thought. He noticed that there were feathers floating around him, 'What is this? Genjutsu' he thought and dispelled it with his sharingan

The two genin saw many ninja jump out of the stands and attack the leaf ninja. Soon, battles broke out all throughout the stands. The enemy ninja wore sand and sound headbands, meaning that it had been worse than what Shino had thought.

"Looks like I was right," Shino said

Shikamaru shook his head. "We have to plan our next move; it won't be smart to just charge in," He explained, "They must have an ace in the hole. I don't think that they just planned on attacking head on; frontal attacks are always used as distractions. All we have to do is find their secret weapon and take it down."

"What is that secret weapon?" Shino asked.  
>Shikamaru glanced at Gaara, "I think I know what it is."<p>

**Stadium Floor**

Gaara clutched his head in pain. His mother was angry at him for not doing a good job on killing the Uchiha. Her screams were loud and Gaara's tried to reason with her but to no avail. Only killing the Uchiha would make her stop screaming at him.

"Calm down Gaara!" Baki yelled as he appeared next to Gaara, "You have to follow the mission!"  
>"Nobody will leave this spot," Genma said with a frown.<br>"Damn," Baki growled, "Gaara I want you to leave while I take care of this man."  
>"Sasuke," Genma said with a serious look, "I want you to make Gaara leave the village. I have a feeling that they want to use him for something big."<p>

"What about my match?" Sasuke asked with a scowl  
>"The exams are cancelled," Genma answered, "Your village needs you now, so go!"<br>Sasuke growled but nodded. "Hey Gaara" The Uchiha called out, "Let's finish our match somewhere else."

Gaara hissed as he watched Sasuke leave the arena. He couldn't leave. His mother wanted the Uchiha's blood and she would have it. Gaara would make sure of that. If he killed the Uchiha then his mother wouldn't be angry at him anymore and she would stop hurting him. His existence would be proven with the death of the Uchiha.

"Get back here!" Gaara yelled as he ran after Sasuke.

**With Kakashi, Gai and Sakura**

"There's a battle going on," Kakashi explained. Sakura looked around and noticed several ninja fighting with ninjas from the sand and sound villages Kakashi ran through hand signs and slammed his hands onto an unconscious man's back. "**Summoning Jutsu**," a small white dog with a Konoha headband as a collar appeared, "I want you to look for a scent of sand moving away from the village."

"Got it," the dog said with a nod.

**With Shikamaru and Shino**

"Shikamaru" Sakura exclaimed when she entered the participant's balcony.  
>"What is it?" Shikamaru asked before turning to the small dog next to Sakura, "Whose dog is that?"<br>"I'm not just a dog. My name is Pakkun and I am a ninja dog," the dog said.  
>"There's no time for introductions," Sakura said in slight panic, "Kakashi-sensei told me get you guys to go after Sasuke so you can help him out."<br>"How do we find them?" Shino asked.  
>"Leave that to me," Pakkun said with pride, "I have his scent, so just follow me."<br>"Let's go," Shino said. Pakkun, Shino, and Sakura leapt out of the arena while Shikamaru groaned.

"Man," Shikamaru said with a groan, "What did I do to deserve this?" The teen thought of just staying there but knew that the village needed his help. With a sigh, Shikamaru leapt out of the arena and followed after his comrades.

**With Naruto**

Naruto was fighting a group of enemy ninja, but stopped when Kakashi appeared and spoke "Unfortunately you won't be fighting them," Kakashi said as he jumped in front of them.

"Kakashi-sensei" Naruto asked in confusion.  
>"I'll be fighting these" Kakashi said before turning to him, "I believe you had something to do."<br>"Naruto you have to go help Sasuke with Gaara."  
>"Sasuke's is still fighting him?" Naruto asked in disbelief.<p>

"He is. That ninja dog will take you to where they are," Kakashi explained, "This is an A-rank mission and you're in charge Naruto. Remember to take care of your comrades and protect the village at all costs."

"I got it Kakashi-sensei," Naruto Said, "Let's go," Naruto said to the dog. The ninja dog nodded and leapt out of the arena with Naruto following. Naruto made a clone to help the hokage and gave him a scroll and spoke "You know what to do" and went ahead to catch up to the group.

"Now," Kakashi said with an eye-smile as he turned to the three sound ninja, "I'll finish what my student started."

**With Naruto's Clone**

Naruto saw a group of ANBU jumping towards the Hokage. Four fake ANBU attacked the group but a single one with a white cloak charged at them. Naruto watched in awe as the single ANBU defeated the four enemy ninja, disguised as ANBU, in just a few moves. The smoke coming from the explosion engulfed everything around it, but Naruto saw the outline of a person jump out of one of the corpses. Naruto gasped when he saw that the figure was jumping towards where the Hokage was. Naruto gritted his teeth when he saw that shadows leapt out of the other bodies with the same destination, the Hokage. The blond quickly formulated a plan and summoned a single clone.

"Throw me up there as hard as you can!" Naruto ordered. The clone complied and flung the blond towards the top. He killed one enemy ANBU who was about to kill a Leaf ANBU.

"Who are you?" asked the leaf ANBU  
>Naruto smirked. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, future hokage of the Leaf Village."<p>

"We have to backup lord hokage" the ANBU said and Naruto nodded, he went with him to the roof where he saw the Kazekage, hokage and the 4 sound Nin and hear them yelled "**Ninja Art: Four Flame Formation**" Naruto saw the barrier and went right through it like it was nothing. At this point all the leaf ANBU were glad that he managed to passed through it but they were also confused about the fact that if anyone touches the barrier, he will burn to crisp, so how did he do it. The sound ninja only cursed them for letting the blond in but they were also frustrated that the blond managed to get through it like it was nothing. They were all shocked and confused as well as frustrated.

**With Sasuke**

Sasuke panted as he ran through the woods outside of Konoha. He was eager to fight Gaara but knew that fighting him near the village would only get him distracted. It would only be him against Gaara, the perfect way to end his match with the sand ninja. His training with Kakashi had made him a new person and Gaara would pose no threat to him.

Sasuke landed on a large clearing and smirked at Gaara, who landed in front of him. "We will settle our match here Gaara."  
>"I will kill you," Gaara said with a psychotic glare.<br>"You're no match for me," Sasuke said as his sharingan came to life.

**With the Hokage – Inside the barrier**

The hokage knew that it was Orochimaru in the disguise of the hokage and he already made up his mind to put an end to his former student's life. "Orochimaru, you can drop the mask now" said the hokage

"Oh, so you knew, I will end you today, you should have chosen the fifth hokage long ago, Sarutobi sensei" said Orochimaru. After that they both stated their own battle while everybody watched in awe that it was Orochimaru who attacked the hokage but they also knew that the hokage can handle him after all he is the hokage.

Just then, Naruto came in front of the hokage as he passed through the barrier, shocking both the hokage and Orochimaru. "I hope I am not late for the part" he spoke

"Naruto what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be protecting the others?" the hokage asked  
>"Naruto is protecting the others, I am just a mere clone" he replied<br>"And what good can you do, just being a mere clone?" asked Orochimaru  
>"I can save his life and escape from here without being dispelled" he replied<p>

"And how do you plan on doing it?" asked Orochimaru  
>"I have my ways" he replied<p>

'This is not going according to the plan' he thought as he went through some hand seals and yelled "**Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation**" and there were three coffins and the coffins opened to revel the two former hokage's and Kushina Uzumaki.

"You revived my mother, no wonder when I tried the **reanimation jutsu**, it failed, because she was already reanimated" Naruto said with a smile, "But you are going to pay for using her against her own will" he shouted and went through some hand signs and yelled "**Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation**" and then a coffin appeared and when it opened, there was the fourth hokage standing in flesh.

"But how, the fourth used the **reaper death seal**" asked the hokage  
>"That's why I was not able to reanimate him, because you did it before me" said Orochimaru<br>"No, you were not able to reanimate him because he was sealed by the **reaper death seal**, which you don't know about, and you never will" replied the blond  
>"Naruto, you promised me that you would not use that jutsu and how did you undo that seal?" asked the hokage<p>

"I promised I won't use that jutsu, but this, this is the modified version of the **reanimation jutsu** which does not require a living body, it can be casted on the dead body as well, as I was coming here, I killed a sound Nin who was going to kill a leaf ANBU and I used this on him, as for your other question, that story is for another time. As long as I am using this jutsu for something good, then it's okay and I have no intention to force the dead to fight against his will" he said as he slid a kunai with a tag in the fourth's head.

"Well, it doesn't matter, the odds are still in my hand" he said as he did the same thing that Naruto did.  
>All four of them came to life and Hashirama Senju spoke "Saru, is that you, you have grown…old"<br>At this statement everyone sweat dropped and Naruto spoke "What did you expected, that after you have died, he will stay young"

"The blond is quite right, brother" said Tobirama Senju  
>"Minato, is that you" spoke Kushina mistaking Naruto as Minato<br>"Huh, Kushina, what is going on?" asked Minato coming forward  
>"I am not Minato, I am your son" yelled Naruto<br>"My son" said Minato and Kushina together  
>"That's quite a reunion, but it has to end now, kill them" Orochimaru ordered<p>

"No matter what the era is, there is always fight" complained Hashirama  
>"This is my reanimation jutsu" complained Tobirama<br>"You should have never made it" complained Hashirama  
>"But I am glad you made it, this way I got a chance to meet my parents" replied Naruto<p>

"Dad, let's keep the talk later, old man can you take both the hokage's at once, since you are familiar with them, it won't be difficult. Dad, you take Orochimaru while I will take mom. To end the reanimation jutsu, you have to seal the soul" Naruto said as he took out a sealing tag and handed them to both of them and spoke again "These are my special sealing tags which I created to undo the **reanimation jutsu**, it will seal their soul for all eternity, and only I can reanimate them after this, it won't work on the living, it will only work on the **reanimation jutsu**. I call them **soul binding seal**" he explained them and they went to their fights.

**With Sasuke**

Gaara's sand shot at Sasuke from all directions. Sasuke used his enhanced speed to dodge the sand. Gaara glared as the sand continued chasing after the Uchiha. His mother would get the blood she wanted. Sasuke could run all he wanted but his mother would quench her thirst in the end.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he rolled on the ground in order to avoid another shot of sand. Gaara was attacking from all directions and not giving him time to counter. If he wanted to hurt the sand ninja then he had to drop his enhanced speed. Doing this would leave him vulnerable to attacks but it would give him the power he needed to bring Gaara down.

The Uchiha jumped up a tree before coming to a rest on a branch. He ran through hand signs and put a hand on his mouth. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu" A large ball of flame shot out of Sasuke's mouth. The fireball flew towards Gaara but before the attack could hurt the redhead; a large wall created of sand appeared before him. The fireball clashed against the wall of sand before bursting and creating a large explosion.

Sasuke shielded his eyes from the explosion. He didn't notice the stream of sand making its way towards him before it was too late. The sand gripped his foot and flung him towards a tree. Sasuke sailed through the air but regained his balance and used his feet to bounce off the tree. Gaara's eyes widened when he saw Sasuke flying towards him. Sasuke raised his fist and punched Gaara on the jaw. Gaara's skin cracked and he crashed against a tree.

Sasuke panted from where he stood. There was no way that Gaara would be getting up after that. He allowed a small smirk to escape his face. He had been able to defeat Gaara; this proved that he was strong. Not strong enough to beat Itachi but he was getting there. The Uchiha gasped when sand shot out of where Gaara had been. Gaara walked towards him but his appearance had changed. His right arm was now covered in sand as was half of his face. He had a crazy look on his eye and Sasuke couldn't help but shiver. Gaara was leaking out a killing intent even greater than Zabuza's.

"You're dead Uchiha!" Gaara yelled in anger

**With Sakura and others**

"Are we almost there?" Sakura asked in slight panic.

"They stopped running," Pakkun explained, "The two have probably begun to fight. We will reach them in a few minutes." Sakura, Shikamaru, and Shino had been following Pakkun for what appeared to be a long time. The three genin couldn't believe what was happening on the village. On their way out they had seen a giant three-headed snake attacking the village. There were fights between ninja almost everywhere on the village. Some corpses were seen around the village and many wounded ninja dragged themselves around the village. The three genin had been rendered speechless at what they witnessed. This was their first war and they had never imagined the things that they saw.

"We have to think of a plan," Shikamaru informed his two comrades, "Gaara is no pushover, and we can't engage him without a well thought out strategy."  
>"What do you suggest?" Shino asked, "We don't have a lot to work with. We're only three ninja with very different abilities."<p>

Shikamaru frowned. Everything Shino had said was true. His own jutsu were very limited while Shino's bugs were no match for Gaara. Sakura had no apparent skill and would only get on the way so she was discarded from the battle.

"Don't worry," Pakkun said, "I smell one of the other summon hounds coming this way. I assume that Kakashi sent another team to join with us."  
>Shikamaru smirked; he knew exactly who was coming. "Our chances just went up," he said, "All we have to do is stall Gaara until Naruto arrives."<br>"How do you know Naruto is coming?" Shino asked.

"I know Naruto well," Shikamaru said with a small smirk, "He wouldn't let us fight Gaara alone. Even if he isn't strong enough to defeat him or even if he's scared. He won't let us fight him alone, that's just the type of person he is."

"How will Naruto help?" Shino deadpanned, "He's not as strong as Sasuke."  
>"Then you're in for a surprise when he gets here," Shikamaru said in an amused tone<p>

**With Naruto**

Naruto gritted his teeth as he leapt from tree to tree, following the summon dog. The dog had informed them that Sasuke was fighting at the moment which meant that he had less time than he originally thought. Even though he admitted that Sasuke was strong, Gaara was on an entirely different level. If Gaara had a demon inside of him too, then that meant that he could use its power. If Gaara's demon was anything like his own then Sasuke would be in trouble.

**With the first, second, and third hokage**

They kept fighting and have some talks. **(The same fight in the cannon, Orochimaru did not interfere. I am not good with fight scenes, so I won't be covering them)**

"Well, I guess we have enough talk, I am sorry, but I have to seal you both" said the third hokage  
>"Do it" said Hashirama<br>"I am proud of you little Saru" Said Tobirama  
>"Can't you see, I am older than you two, stop calling me little" replied Sarutobi<br>"It can't be helped, now seal us already" both Senju brothers said together

When the hokage placed the seal on his former hokage's, they stated disappearing. "We will meet again Sarutobi, that blond kid is quite talented, I would like to meet him again too, but not too soon" said Hashirama

"He is quite talented, his dream is to be the hokage so he can protect everyone, even though the village made his life hell because he was a jinchuriki, he hold no grudge against them" Sarutobi explained

"I see" Hashirama said and disappeared

**With Naruto and Kushina**

"Mom, I have a lot to talk to you" the blond explained  
>"But you need to protect yourself first, I am being control, I can't hold for long" his mother said<br>"You won't be able to land a hit on me, believe it" he said grinning  
>"Don't underestimate me" she said<p>

"I am not underestimating you, I am just clearing all the facts" he said and Kushina hit him, only to realize that her hand went right through him and then she noticed his **Mangekyo Sharingan.**

"How?" she asked. Naruto began explaining her and chatting with her while she tried to hit, but to no avail, all her hits just went right through him. He told her about his life and asked some question and then finally asked how she and dad met. With that she explained him her life story. **(Same as in cannon while he was learning to control Kyuubi's chakra) and (I won't be covering the fight)**

"I am almost out of chakra and I talked to you, so I have to seal you now. Can't let that bastard control you, can I?" with that said he placed the sealing tag on her and she started disappearing, but she was happy that she got a chance to meet Naruto.

"Naruto, I believe in you, I believe that you will be a better hokage than your dad" she said and then gone out of existence

'She believe in me' though Naruto with a smile

**With Orochimaru and Minato**

After a long fight **(I won't be covering the fight)**, Minato spoke "You have caused a lot of problems, you dare reanimate Kushina, I'll seal your soul for all eternity"

"Big words fourth hokage" said Orochimaru

Minato did some hand signs and yelled "**Reaper Death seal**" and there was Shinigami behind him, he held Orochimaru and started taking his soul, but his reanimated body was not strong enough to do the reaper death seal, so he only took his hands.

"What have you done, give me my hands back fourth hokage" Orochimaru yelled. As he yelled that, the barrier was dropped and the sand shinobi came in and picked Orochimaru and ran away.

The hokage and Naruto came to see the disappearing body of the fourth hokage. "What happened?" asked Naruto

"I sealed away his arms with **reaper death seal**" explained Minato  
>"But I wanted to talk to you and -"spoke Naruto but was cut off when Minato spoke<br>"You did it once, you can do it again, besides I am already dead" said Minato  
>"Yeah that's right" said Naruto<br>"Don't forget Naruto, I believe in you" said Minato and he was gone the next moment.

"If I don't get promoted after all this old man, then I swear I'll burn down all of your Icha-Icha collection and I'll paint Konoha in orange" Naruto said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**With Sasuke**

Sasuke panted as he sat against a tree. Ever since Gaara transformed into a kind of half-demon, his skills and sand control had gone through the roof. Sasuke had been forced to retreat and had been running away from Gaara while thinking of what to do. Fire jutsu would only be a waste of chakra since Gaara's sand would only block them. That only left the Chidori but he would need time to charge it up.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw grains of sand on the corner of the tree. He quickly jumped away and watched as the tree was engulfed with sand. Gaara stood where the tree had been and gave an evil smirk. The Uchiha threw a couple of kunai but Gaara simply raised his sand-covered arm to block them.

"Damn," Sasuke muttered as he leapt away from Gaara. The sand ninja's sand was getting on his nerves but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Stop running and let me kill you!" Gaara yelled with rage. The jinchuriki shot a wave of sand at Sasuke's retreating figure and smirked when he saw it hit its mark.

Sasuke crashed into the ground and gasped in pain. He tried to stand but found it useless when he felt sand surround his whole body. His eyes widened, he had seen what the sand did to its victims. The Uchiha screamed as he tried to get away from the sand that would crush him to death. The sand started to tighten around his body and the sound of breaking bones was heard throughout the woods.

Gaara licked his lips when he saw Sasuke squirm under his sand. Soon the Uchiha's blood would quench his mother's thirst, and his existence would be proven. He added pressure to the sand and smirked when he heard Sasuke scream in pain. Gaara felt so alive when he heard people scream in pain, it meant that they knew that he existed. He would soon ease his pain.

Sasuke screamed in agony. His body was being completely crushed and he could do nothing about it. He already found it difficult to breath and his movement had been completely restrained. Itachi had never seemed so far away. If he couldn't beat Gaara then how would he be able to kill his brother and avenge his clan?

"Sasuke" Sakura's scream was heard.

Gaara turned his gaze to the newcomer. One more ninja had arrived which meant that he would get to kill more people. His mother would be quite content with him. Sakura immediately ran to Sasuke and began to cry. "Sasuke…Please be alright!" she cried out as she held his body close.

Gaara took his time in making his way over to the two fallen shinobi. He savoured each second of their suffering. They knew that they were going to die and they would scream in fear. That was what Gaara lived for, killing to prove he still lived.

"**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough**" A powerful gust of wind knocked Gaara away from the fallen genin.

Sakura turned his gaze to see Naruto running over to them. He kneeled next to the two in order to check for wounds, he send some of Kyuubi's chakra through Sasuke's body to heal him. Naruto stood next to them in his taijutsu stance, Sasuke turned to the blond, and his eyes widened when he saw something he never thought he would see in Naruto's eyes, fury.

"You came to die too?" Gaara asked with a crazed look on his face, "Very well, I'll kill you too!"  
>"If you ever come near any of my friends again," Naruto started with his hands and mouth twitching from pure fury, "I'll kill you!"<p>

"**Wind Style: Air Bullets**" Naruto shot out several balls of wind that hit Gaara all over his body. The attack ended with Naruto putting his hand on Gaara's stomach, "**Rasengan**" The attack's force knocked Gaara away from the blond jinchuriki. The redhead crashed against a tree and struggled to get up.

"Where are Shikamaru and Shino" Naruto asked  
>"They stopped in the middle to fight Kankuro and Temari" she said<br>"Sakura," Naruto said in a serious voice, "I want you to take Sasuke out of here."  
>"Not this again" Sasuke snapped, "I'll help you. You don't have to do this alone!"<br>"Fine," Naruto answered, "But when it gets too dangerous, I want you two away from here."

They both went into a taijutsu battle with Gaara and did some collaboration jutsu of fire and wind but nothing affected him, only put a little damage to his armour and nothing more, with another attack they manage to threw him to the ground. Naruto panted as he watched Gaara fall on the ground. "How are you on chakra Sasuke?" he asked, "I have used about half of my reserves."

"I think I have enough chakra for one more attack," Sasuke admitted while panting heavily.  
>"I want you to stand by, if I got in some trouble, then help me out, until then stand by" Naruto said and Sasuke nodded<p>

Soon enough, the sand ninja stood back up with a look of anger on his face. Naruto slipped into his taijutsu stance and infused chakra onto his blade. The blond ran at Gaara, who used his sand to attack him. Not having a lot of energy left, Naruto was hit and thrown back. Using the ground as a spring, Naruto leapt at Gaara. The sand ninja used his sand arm to cover the attack. The blond punched the arm before using his blade to cut through it. As soon as the arm fell on the ground, another one began to reform. Before it formed completely, Naruto kicked Gaara on the face.

The redhead flinched and felt a fist connect with his stomach. Gaara raised his fist to attack but Naruto hopped to the right and delivered a kick to his stomach. Naruto followed with an elbow to Gaara's chest and a kick to the face. Gaara recovered from the kick and punched Naruto away with his newly formed right arm. The blond landed on the ground with a hard thud but stood up immediately. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu**" he yelled as three clones appeared beside him. The three charged at Gaara and began to attack.

Gaara wasn't able to strike back since they wouldn't stop their attacks. One of the clones' stances fell and Gaara took the opportunity. He punched the first clone, while blocking a kick with his sand arm. He shot a stream of sand at the last two clones and looked for the original. "Take this **Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years Of Death**, straight from the teachings of Kakashi sensei" Naruto yelled. Gaara hissed when he felt something dig into his tail. He turned around to see Naruto trying to jump away but before he could get away, Gaara managed to punch him with his sand arm.

Naruto sailed through the air and smirked. "Got you," he said as he crashed to the ground, he expected pain, but that never came, he turned around to see that he crashed into Sasuke. Gaara heard the sound of something burning before the kunai that had been stabbed into his tail exploded. The redhead screamed in pain, since the tail was the only vulnerable place on his body. He was blown away before crashing against a tree, headfirst.

"All this work and you managed to get one hit" Sasuke complained  
>"Oh put a sock in it" yelled Naruto<p>

"Naruto, you are almost out of chakra, go away while I hold him down, I don't want you to die. Now leave, I don't want to see my comrade dying in front of me. I lost everything once; I don't want to lose everything again. If it ends here, then it means it's as far as I was meant to go, but I don't want to see you die in front of me." Sasuke said

He remembered Kakashi's words and spoke "I get it now, of course, he is no different than I am, going through life with the exact same sadness and loneliness that I have to carry. He fought only for himself never relying on anyone and because of that he thought he possess strength, that's not what real strength is, if you never fight for anyone but yourself, you will never be strong, no matter what you do" he paused as he gained memories from his clone and remembered Haku's words and Iruka and everyone that is close to him and released a massive amount of chakra.

'He had no chakra, yet he is releasing massive amount of chakra, how is he doing it' thought Sasuke  
>'No matter what happens, I'll protect my friends' Naruto thought<p>

'Of course I get it, chakra is made up of physical energy and spiritual energy, and my words affected him and boosted his spiritual energy. I guess it's true, that if you fight for other, then you'll be truly strong' Sasuke thought

"Sasuke stand down, and rest and leave it to me, you are not going to die today, and neither will I, not until you kill Itachi and I became hokage. And I haven't used Kurama's chakra till now" yelled Naruto

'Naruto' thought Sasuke as he watched his best friend with wide eyes. He knew that Naruto would protect him but he was not aware that he would go this far.

Naruto made thousands clones and everyone stayed wide eyed at it, at this point Shikamaru and Shino caught up to them and they were also watching this along with Sakura and Pakkun. Sasuke was also staring him thinking about the power he showed and he knew that it was not the Kyuubi's power. His clones got in fight with Gaara and much to Temari and Kankuro's surprise; they managed to knock Gaara to the ground. Soon Gaara burst out of the ground roaring and the sand covered his body and then the view became visible, there stood the Shukaku.

A million thoughts raced through Naruto's head as Shukaku's giant claws descended upon him, with the most prominent one being, 'fuck' The blond replaced himself with a log, before putting some distance between himself and the giant demon. He had no idea what to do. He was almost out of chakra so wind jutsu would only be a waste of time since it wouldn't hurt something that big.

"Where are you?" Naruto heard Shukaku yell  
>"Naruto, I think it's time you call him" yelled Sasuke<p>

"Yeah, about time" yelled Naruto. Naruto bit his thumb and ran through hand signs before slamming his hands on the branch he had been standing on. "**Summoning Jutsu**" A giant cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of the forest, gaining Shukaku's attention. There was a loud sound of crashing trees before the smoke begin to disappear. Standing on the forest, facing Shukaku, was the nine tailed fox Kurama with his summoner, Naruto, on its head.

"What? How are you out of the seal Kurama?" Shukaku growled

"That's none of your concern, what are you doing, using a child, father would be ashamed of you" replied Kurama

"All humans are the same, they should be killed, why are you helping him, he is the reason that you are sealed" replied Shukaku

"Yes, it may be true that humans only see us as weapons and nothing else" he saw the smirk on Shukaku's face and said further "but some are different, at least he is different" he said pointing towards the blond

"Still he use you for fight, what else have he done for you?" asked Shukaku

"He befriended me, he released me from my hate, and he found a way for me to get out of that damn cage" Kurama said

"What do you mean?" asked Shukaku

"Exactly what I said, with his permission, I can roam free. He only summons me or my chakra when he needs my help, for the rest of the time, I roam free" Kurama said

"And where do you roam free, and how can he summon you and if you are out, how is he still alive" asked the shocked Shukaku

"Let's just say that he has a way with seals, and for the roaming part, I roam in his pocked dimension" Kurama said

"Believe what you want Kurama, in the end he will always consider you a tool" yelled Shukaku

"I have faith in him, I believe he is the boy that the old man mentioned" said Kurama

'Is he really that kid' thought Shukaku, '**Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, and Kurama. ****Even though you have been separated, you shall always be together. Until eventually that time shall come when you will become one… You each carry a name… And with a different shape than you had up to now, you will be shown a righteous path, different from the time you spent inside of me. What is true power…Until that time…A blue eyed mischievous boy will come, who will show you all the right way, he will unite you all and he will change the world.'** He remembered the words of the sage.

"I'll kill you all!" Shukaku yelled as he opened his mouth, "Wind Style: Air Bullets!"

Giant balls of wind came out of Shukaku's mouth, making Naruto's look like a drop in the ocean. Kurama only deflected it with his tails. Naruto growled, still under the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra. "Any ideas?" The blond jinchuriki asked, "Kick his ass already!"

"I can't stop him without destroying the forest itself." Kurama snapped in anger, "We have to wake up Shukaku's host."

Naruto looked at the demon and saw no sign of Gaara. "How the hell do we do that?" He asked with a frown, "I don't see that Gaara anywhere!"

"The kid should be on Shukaku's forehead," Kurama explained, "You have to get through the sand in order to wake him up. I'll get close to him, be ready to attack."

"Got it!" Naruto said with a firm nod.

Sasuke, Shino and Shikamaru watched the battle from a safe distance, they were in awe at the sight of the nine tailed fox; the same fox that attacked konoha was now helping them. Sasuke wanted to be there in case Naruto needed help while Shino and Shikamaru were too tired to go any further. Gaara was winning by the looks of things but the giant fox wasn't so far behind. "It's going to be a long fight," Shino said. Shikamaru and Sasuke just nodded.

"Get ready kid!" Kurama said as he charged at Shukaku. He took hold of its sides and held him in a tight grip, "Go wake him up!"

Naruto jumped off Kurama's head and onto Shukaku's. "**Wind Style,**" Naruto began to run through hand seals before bringing a hand to his mouth, "**Devastation!**" A powerful gust of air came out of Naruto's mouth and blew part of the sand on Shukaku's head away, revealing Gaara's unconscious form. "Wake up you bastard!" The blond yelled as he raised his fist, ready to punch Gaara awake.

Shukaku's eyes widened. "I won't go back in!" The one-tailed demon began to thrash about, breaking Kurama's hold on him, "Get the hell off!" It began to shake its head rapidly, enraged at the brat that was trying to put him back on that damned prison.

Naruto tried to hold on by using his chakra to stick to the head but found it incredibly hard. With one last shake of its head, Naruto was thrown off the Shukaku and fell towards the ground at an incredible pace. The blond saw the oncoming ground and closed his eyes, it would hurt. He felt something wrap around his waist and his fall stopped.

"I got you kid," Kurama said with his tail wrapped around Naruto.

"I'll kill you both!" Shukaku yelled. It opened its mouth and small bubbles started to form around it. There were small blue bubbles mixed with black bubbles, the small bubbles simply floated around until they began to move towards Shukaku's mouth. The bubble's began to merge and started to create a large black sphere.

Kurama put Naruto back on its head just in time to witness the attack beginning to form. "What the hell is that?" Naruto exclaimed in anger.

Kurama's eyes widened, he had seen that attack before. "There's only one thing to do kid. You're going to get one last shot at waking the kid. If you don't then your village is doomed." Naruto's eyes widened and he narrowed his eyes, he would stop the Shukaku for his friends. He had promised himself to protect them all. His appearance began to turn back to normal, showing that the Kyuubi's chakra was leaving his system, "I'm going to throw you high in the air. Use the momentum to deliver your strongest attack and wake the kid."

"Don't worry, I'll wake him up." Naruto assured with a confident grin. Kurama's tail wrapped tightly around Naruto's waist as Shukaku's attack was done charging.

Shukaku swallowed the black ball as Kurama threw Naruto in the air. Shukaku's stomach inflated before returning to normal. The Shukaku opened its mouth and released a powerful yellow beam that tore into the ground and obliterated trees as it made its way to the fox. Naruto watched the attack in awe while rocketing up the sky. He looked at Kurama facing the powerful attack with nothing but his tails and smiled, Kurama was truly brave.

As the attack approached Kurama, he left in a cloud of smoke to return to his seal to safety. 'What the hell?' Naruto thought with an angry expression, 'Why did he just leave me here?' The attack exploded into the ground in a display of raw power. Trees were blown away and smoke filled the entire area. When the smoke cleared, there was a huge crater where Kurama had been standing only moments ago.

"I killed them!" Shukaku cheered, not seeing Naruto sailing through the air.

"He's distracted, now's my chance." Naruto muttered to himself. He wouldn't let the stupid demon hurt his friends or the village. He had promised to protect them and had told Ino that he would go back to the village safely. He had to win!

Naruto's momentum ended and he began to fall rapidly. 'This is it!" He thought as he held his right hand to the side and began to forge wind chakra into his palm, wind gathered on his hand and a ball of wind began to form. The ball of wind chakra flashed blue for a second before turning back to its original white and grey colour.

"Wind Style: Rasengan" Naruto yelled as he crashed into Shukaku's head. The attack resulted on a large crater on Shukaku's head and a huge cloud of sand.

"Dammit!" Shukaku screamed in pain. Gaara's unconscious form became visible on Shukaku's head and Naruto ran at it with his right fist held back.

"Wake the hell up already!" Naruto yelled as he brought his fist to Gaara's face. His fist connected with Gaara's jaw with a loud breaking bone sound, from Gaara's jaw or his own knuckles, he didn't know.

Gaara's eyes snapped open and Shukaku's body began to break. "No! Dammit!" The Shukaku yelled as it began to disappear. Soon Shukaku's whole body turned back to ordinary sand, leaving Naruto and Gaara falling helplessly to the ground since they were not able to move anymore from the strain their bodies had taken. The two landed on the unforgiving ground with loud thuds and everything grew quiet on the woods. No more sounds of battle, no more curses, no more tremors. The only thing heard was the heavy breathing of two shinobi.

Gaara was sprawled on the ground. His whole body ached and his jaw was in incredible pain. He couldn't understand how he had gotten beaten. He had experienced more pain than anyone and lived only for himself. How had he lost? What did he lack?

Naruto's muffled groan was heard. He had fallen on the ground face down, hurting most of his bones. His chakra was almost gone and his body was in pain. With the adrenaline gone, he could feel each of the wounds Gaara had inflicted on him. But he wasn't done yet. Gaara was still there and was a danger to the village, to his friends. The blond gritted his teeth and began to drag himself towards Gaara. He and the redhead were the same but Gaara had taken a turn he had avoided thanks to Iruka and all of his friends.

Gaara's eyes widened when he saw Naruto moving towards him. The redhead's body wouldn't move, he was vulnerable, Naruto would kill him. "No," Gaara said in fear, "I won't have my existence erased! Get away! Stop!" The blond didn't stop and continued to move towards Gaara, causing him to scream in fear.

Naruto stopped dragging himself towards Gaara, making the redhead stop screaming and look at him in fear of being killed. Naruto understood why Gaara didn't want to die. All Gaara had was himself, his life was all he cherished. Just like Naruto had. "It's almost unbearable… isn't it?"

Gaara gave Naruto a confused expression. The blond slowly lifted his face to meet Gaara's gaze. The redhead looked into Naruto's eyes and his eyes widened slightly. Those eyes, were just like his own, full of loneliness.

"I know what it's like…" Naruto began, "Having everyone look at you in fear. Being ignored by everyone and avoided like the plague. I have a demon inside of me too." Gaara's eyes widened, someone else knew of his pain, "There was a time when I felt just like you… I hated everyone. I wanted them all to feel my pain, wanted to make them suffer for acting like I didn't exist… like my life didn't even matter."

A few tears escaped Naruto's eyes and he gave a small smile. "But then, I met Sasuke and Iruka-sensei. They were the first person other than the Hokage, to acknowledge me. At that point I thought that there was hope… maybe I could be acknowledged by more people." Gaara listened to every word, wondering if he too could be acknowledged, "As time passed, I met more people that looked at me as a friend… someone important to them." Naruto smiled thinking of his friends, the people he would give his life to protect, "I grew to cherish those bonds and nothing will ever break them, even if they are damaged. That's why I'll give my life to protect them! They took me out of that dark and lonely place, they are my saviours."

Naruto's gaze turned to one of anger and he began to try to stand up. He used his left hand to support himself before doing the same with his right. It was hard and painful but he managed to get into a crawling position. "If you ever try to hurt them…" He glared at Gaara, "I'll slaughter you!"

Gaara turned his gaze to the sky, reflecting on his life. 'Love is what made him strong,' he thought, 'Maybe I can form bonds also. I still don't understand completely but I will try.' The redhead turned back to Naruto and gave him a nod, "I don't want to fight anymore. I won't hurt your friends."

Naruto smiled weakly. "I understand why you acted like you did." The blond gave Gaara a grin, "I won't hold it against you. Maybe we could become friends in the future, Gaara."

Gaara managed a small grin. "I'd like that," he said weakly, "Naruto Uzumaki."

The blond smiled before he laid down on the ground and closed his eyes, the effects of the fight finally too much for him. He slipped into blissful unconsciousness with inner peace, he had succeeded on protecting his friends.

"Is it over?" Sasuke asked. He, Shikamaru and Shino had seen the disappearance of the Shukaku after a big explosion happened on its head.

"It appears so," Shino said.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and smirked. "He actually did it," he said, "We might as well go get him." He opened his eyes to see Shino pointing towards Naruto's direction.

Kakashi arrived to a weird scene. Naruto was sleeping on the ground with Gaara gazing at the sky only a few feet away. He expected to arrive to see the two trying to kill each other but, to be honest, he was glad they were done. It meant he was probably done fighting for the day. He would fight for his village any day but it was always good to lay back and relax.

"I take it you beat Naruto?" Kakashi asked the redhead.

Gaara shook his head with his gaze never leaving the sky. "I was defeated by Naruto." He admitted, "His merely resting, a luxury which I do not have."

Kakashi eye-smiled, he was proud of his student. He had assumed that Naruto had calmed Gaara down after losing but he had actually defeated a chunin level ninja, it would be the last time he didn't believe in his student. "I take it Naruto told you of his burden." Gaara turned his gaze to Kakashi and nodded, "Good. I hope you two become friends. Because you know of each other's pain then it'll be easier to cope with it. It's always a good thing to have a friend you can familiarize with."

"I hope I'll be able to follow in Naruto's example," Gaara said with a small nod.

"Well," Kakashi said with an eye-smile breaking the tension, "Sorry to say this but I have to take you back to the village. Don't worry though, you won't be trialled since you were listening to the orders of an imposter."

"The Kazekage died?" Receiving a nod from Kakashi, Gaara gazed at the sky once again, "That's good."

Kakashi sweat dropped, he probably didn't want to know why it was a good thing. With a shrug Kakashi created a shadow clone and had him pick up the two jinchuriki's. They would need some medical attention but then again, many ninja did. It would probably be a while before they were discharged. Kakashi inwardly smirked, it would give him a lot of quality reading time.

2 Days Later

Naruto's eyes opened slightly before closing again. He could probably get a few more minutes of sleep. The blond went back to sleep but felt something soft on his cheek. He was puzzled as to what it was, he had never felt anything like it and it left a tingling sensation on his cheek. The blond regained some conscience and wondered where he was. The last thing he remembered was talking to Gaara and then going to sleep.

The blond slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by white walls and immediately closed his eyes due to the light they reflected. He waited a few seconds before opening his eyes again and making sense of where he was. His right hand was heavily bandaged and he was in a white bed.

'Great, I'm in the hospital,' Naruto thought with a groan. He hated hospitals, they smelled funny and had the worst tasting food that would only taste worse because of the hospital's smell. The sound of footsteps got his attention and he turned his gaze to the white door, seriously why did everything have to be white in hospitals.

The door opened, getting the attention of the blonde, and the Hokage entered the room. "Hello Naruto," Sarutobi said with a small smile, "It's nice to see you finally woke up."

"Hey old man!" Naruto greeted with a smile, "Glad to see you're okay!"

"I came here to thank you," the Hokage said. He smiled at the odd looks the blonde gave him, "Thanks to your intervention Orochimaru's plans were ruined."

"It was nothing," Naruto said with an embarrassed blush.

The Hokage chuckled. "I also wanted to thank you for not only stopping Gaara, but for steering him to the right path. You completed your first A-rank mission as a leader and proved to be capable of making right decisions concerning your teammates' well-being." Sarutobi took out a sealing scroll and gave it to Naruto. "I would like you to open it and be the first to congratulate you."

Naruto poured some chakra into the scroll and watched as something appeared in a small cloud of smoke. The blonde's eyes widened and he gave Sarutobi an exited smile. The Hokage smiled, Naruto had truly done him proud and deserved what he gave him.

"I would like to congratulate you on becoming a Jonin," the Hokage said with a smile.

Naruto looked at the vest sitting on his lap and smiled. "Alright!" The blond cheered, "One step closer to becoming Hokage."

"I have to leave now," Sarutobi said with a nod of his head, "There's much to do in the village."

"I'll see you later old man!" Naruto said. The Hokage smiled and left the room, happy that Naruto was turning out to be a strong shinobi.


	18. Chapter 18

Hey, i want someone to help me out in this fiction, a beta editor or anyone who would like to write and edit this story alongside me. I am working on another story too, so it would be quite a burden and i don't want to rush it.


	19. Notice

Hey everyone, i have updated my whole story and i have measured up my chapters to 6-8 k each, before i started posting every chapter, i need help in upgrading chapter 1 and chapter 2, as many of you have read it already, i just need to extend it and modify it a bit, so nay help or any advices would be appreciated...


	20. Chapter 19

Hey everyone, got a new idea for a new story. This story will be Naruto/Hinata and avenger Sasuke at first. Jiraiya will find Naruto (age 4) during an attack and after some talk with the hokage, will take him for 1 year of training. Naruto (age 5) will come back in konoha to start his life as a ninja. He will interfere in the Kumo kidnapping event losing an eye in the process, after that he will start training with yamato for wood style training. Yes, Naruto will have Mokuton in this fic. After a year, he will find Hinata who is disowned from her clan and awarded with a caged bird seal. They both will start living together in Minato's house. Yes, Naruto will know about his heritage and legacy at an early age and he will keep it hidden.

The rest have been planned as well, if anyone is interested in writing this fanfiction, then please contact me. We can work on the term's later on. This will be one heck of a story and don't worry guys, I will finish my current story, just give me some time. Eventually a god like Naruto fic and at the end he will have rinnegan. Naruto will be placed on a single man team as a full apprentice of Jiraiya. Yes, he will have the sharingan too. I know many will think that I am obsessed with sharingan, but what can I say, they are just incredible.

So if anyone is interested, please contact me. PM me as soon as possible, I am not a very good writer, as you all can easily see, so I want help. This story will be close to the original, but can't promise about Sasuke staying alive, we will figure that out later, for now if anyone wants to help, just Pm me.


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